"The coming year could prove as unpredictable - and consequential - for US science as 2025 was. In the tumultuous year since President Donald Trump returned to office last January, some of his administration's actions - including firing thousands of government scientists, cancelling billions of dollars in grants and blocking funding for elite universities - have foundered. Many are tied up in the courts, and Trump's proposals to slash federal science budgets are still pending before a sceptical US Congress."
"Although the US Congress sets the budget for science spending, the Trump administration has "have aggressively set the table such that they have political control over pretty much all issues related to science", says Wendy Wagner, a science-policy specialist at the University of Texas at Austin. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about this and other allegations in this article."
"Congressional support for science The US Congress could finalize the federal budget for 2026 as early as this month, and science advocates are hopeful that the most extreme cuts sought by Trump will be avoided. Last year, the administration proposed drastic reductions in science funding, such as a 57% cut to the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Legislation moving through the US Congress would reject most of those cuts."
Federal science funding and governance remain uncertain as the administration pursues major changes and Congress prepares 2026 appropriations. The administration carried out actions in 2025 including firing thousands of government scientists, cancelling billions in grants, and blocking funding for elite universities; many of those actions are tied up in the courts. Proposals to slash agency budgets, including a proposed 57% cut to the National Science Foundation, remain pending before a sceptical Congress. House measures have moved to reject most proposed cuts, but final Senate approval is needed. The administration may attempt to withhold or redirect funding that does not align with its priorities.
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