The following is a statement from the Association of American Universities regarding provisions slashing research funding in the newly released FY27 presidential budget request:
As President Trump himself has repeatedly acknowledged, federal support for cutting-edge scientific research is crucial to the United States’ long-term success – and that our nation’s scientific enterprise has kept the United States at the forefront of global scientific discovery, innovation, and economic growth since World War II. Recent news that China’s investments in scientific research and development are now outpacing our own only underscores the importance of renewing our commitment to American science.
Yet President Trump again has proposed a federal budget for the next fiscal year that would slash investments in American scientific research – including a 12.3% cut to the world’s premier medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health. Such a drastic cut would turn the United States overnight from the world’s unquestioned leader in biomedical research to last place among our competitor nations – reducing the chances that American science cures cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other terminal and debilitating conditions.
Also, the administration’s proposed 54% cut to the National Science Foundation’s budget would severely weaken our nation’s ability to generate new fundamental knowledge and the cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs that have served as the foundation for the development of whole new industries in biotech, information technology, and artificial intelligence. Indeed, continued support for NSF and the scientific research it supports is critical to our national security and economy, especially at this time when new evidence has just shown China’s investments in science have surpassed our own.
Likewise, the president’s proposed cuts to NASA and the research agencies of the Department of Energy would hobble the broader American scientific enterprise at a crucial time when dominance in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing is essential to keeping Americans safe and prosperous.
We urge Congress, as they did with the FY26 budget, to reject these short-sighted cuts and increase investments in America’s scientific enterprise to ensure that our nation continues to lead the world – and that all Americans keep benefiting from the greatest research-and-innovation engine the world has ever known.
An earlier version of this statement noted that the president’s budget request proposes a 13% cut to the NIH budget. That number has now been corrected to 12.3%.
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.