In Brief
Take Action: Contact Congress in Support of Scientific Research
With the attacks on science since January, it is imperative for researchers to communicate with their Members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, to fight for science. As biophysicists you understand the value and need for investment into basic and biomedical research. The U.S. cannot continue to lead in science research and development without appropriate levels of funding for all science research agencies. Send a letter now!
White House ‘Skinny Budget’ Calls for Devastating Cuts to Science
On May 2, the White House released what is commonly referred to as a its ‘Skinny Budget;’ a top-line spending document that outlines its vision for what fiscal year (FY) 2026 expenditures should be for each agency. While we wait for the more detailed proposals to emerge, the House has begun hearings to begin the process of putting together the 12 appropriations bills that will ultimately make up the FY26 budget. The proposed budget aims to cut non-defense spending, which includes all science funding agencies, by -22.6% or $325 billion.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently has a budget of $48.301 billion per year. The White House proposes cutting spending by -37.19%, or -$17.965 billion, reducing the total budget to $30.336 billion. This will be the largest single cut to NIH in history if enacted. The proposal preserves $27 billion for research initiatives, while also restructuring the 27 Institutes and Centers to eliminate perceived overlap in initiatives. It would consolidate Institutes and Centers down to 8 Institutes; eliminating 2 Institutes and 2 Centers entirely and moving one Institute and ARPA-H under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) [see chart below]. BPS continues to propose a total funding level of $51.303 billion for FY26 and for any restructuring proposals to be made through regular Congressional order.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a current budget of $8.826 billion for FY25 and the White House proposes a reduction of -55.8%, or $4.900 billion, leaving the agency with a total of $3.900 billion for FY26 if approved. More recently, the White House has proposed drastic restructuring eliminating the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight NSF directorates—and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced. BPS continues to propose a total funding level of $9.98 billion for FY26 and for any restructuring proposals to be made through regular Congressional order.
The Department of Energy Office of Science has a current budget of $8.240, which would be reduced to $7.092 billion for FY26 under the new proposal, which is a reduction of -13.9%. This is the most modest cut to scientific research funding in the proposed budget. BPS continues to propose a total funding level of $9.5 billion for FY26. While all proposed budget adjustments emphasize a continued focus on artificial intelligence and quantum computing, it makes specific directives to reduce or in some cases eliminate any and all research related to climate regardless of the agency.
Table: Proposed Restructuring of NIH
|
Proposed Institutes
|
Current Institutes
|
|
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
|
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
|
|
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
|
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
|
|
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|
|
National Institute on Body Systems
|
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
|
|
National Institute on Neuroscience and Brain Research
|
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Eye Institute (NEI)
|
|
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
|
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
|
|
National Institute of Disability Related Research
|
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
|
|
National Institute of Behavioral Health
|
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
|
NIH Announces End to Foreign Subawards
As part of the sweeping changes to how the U.S. federal government operates, particularly in the field of scientific research funding, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced that it will cease Foreign Subawards as of September. NIH asserts this adjustment is not a mechanism to halt funding of foreign research, but to better track money and “maintain national security. Going forward, foreign scientists must directly apply for separate grants, and NIH will revise the process for these applications.