Trump Administration Proposes Major Cuts to Science and Engineering Agencies

The Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget blueprint introduces substantial reductions in federal funding for key science and engineering research agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Energy (DOE), and NASA. On the defense side of the ledger, Department of Defense Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation funding would see a reduction in a requested budget that seeks the first-ever trillion-dollar-plus defense allocation.  

National Science Foundation (NSF) - The NSF faces a proposed 56% budget reduction, decreasing its funding from approximately $9 billion to $4 billion. This significant cut would impact numerous research initiatives and infrastructure projects across most science and engineering disciplines.  

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - While specific figures for NIST's budget cuts are not detailed in the available information, the agency is among those affected by the administration's broader reductions in non-defense discretionary spending. Proposed cuts of $325 million could impact NIST's role in promoting U.S. innovation and competitiveness in critical and emerging technologies, particularly given NIST’s role in A.I. standards development activities.  

Department of Energy (DOE) - The DOE's Office of Science, responsible for fundamental research in physical sciences, is anticipated to experience budget constraints under the proposed plan. While exact figures are not specified, reductions of ~$1 billion in funding could affect ongoing projects and research in areas such as clean energy and advanced computing. 

NASA - NASA's budget is slated for a 24% cut, reducing funding from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. The proposed budget emphasizes human space exploration, allocating $7 billion for Moon missions and $1 billion for future Mars missions. However, it also calls for the cancellation of several key programs, including the Mars Sample Return Mission, the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway lunar space station, and the nearly completed Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.  

Department of Defense (DOD) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) - In contrast to the cuts in civilian science agencies, the DOD's overall budget sees a significant increase, rising by 13 percent according to the administration’s request. This boost includes allocations for advanced technologies such as hypersonics, microelectronics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence.