The following is a statement from the Association of American Universities regarding provisions slashing research funding in President Trump’s FY26 budget proposal:
President Trump’s FY26 budget proposal, if adopted, would destroy America’s longstanding role as the global leader in science and innovation – along with the countless health, security, and economic benefits that flow from that leadership.
In particular, cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) would be disastrously counterproductive for the American people. NIH is the world’s premier biomedical research agency – but cutting its budget by 40% and proposing a massive restructuring without input from patient groups and scientific experts would set us back for decades in the fight against cancer and other diseases as well as in in developing the other medical advances and cures that NIH catalyzes. Cutting NSF by 56% and eliminating many of its most crucial positions and programs would be equally cataclysmic, immediately ceding the race in AI, quantum science, and other critically important scientific fields to China and other competitor nations.
The budget proposal would also undermine scientific research in other key areas, including a 47% cut to NASA Science; a 9% cut to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative work that supports farmers; a 14% cut to the Department of Energy Office of Science; and a 57% cut to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, or ARPA-E.
The budget proposal would also significantly harm our students by forcing universities to decrease their support for graduate students and postdocs involved in research, reducing Pell grant support, and eliminating other important student aid programs. It would also gut educational research programs and opportunities for undergraduate students to gain hands-on research experience.
We look forward to working with Congress to develop a FY26 budget that would help sustain continued American scientific leadership rather than destroying it.
Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of America’s leading research universities. AAU’s 71 research universities transform lives through education, research, and innovation.
Our member universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators.
AAU member universities collectively help shape policy for higher education, science, and innovation; promote best practices in undergraduate and graduate education; and strengthen the contributions of leading research universities to American society.
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