Administration

National Science Foundation’s future in limbo as Trump eyes cuts

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by Fiona Bork - 04/19/26 6:00 AM ET

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by Fiona Bork - 04/19/26 6:00 AM ET

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The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) future is in limbo as President Trump pushes for more budget cuts and his nominee to helm the research agency awaits Senate confirmation.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, the administration has canceled or suspended nearly 1,400 of the agency’s grants, citing changing policy priorities. A series of internal changes, including layoffs and a shifting funding focus, have also contributed to a reduction in the number of new grants issued by the NSF, which funds a quarter of basic scientific research across the country.

Former NSF directors and organizations representing grant recipients warn that the dismantling of the agency, which serves as a counterpart to the National Institutes of Health, will ultimately curtail American scientific innovation.

“I worry about losing that next generation of researchers just because everything’s so uncertain and there’s just a lot of frustration,” Sarah Spreitzer, the assistant vice president and chief of staff of government relations at the American Council on Education, told The Hill.

The NSF’s focus on contributing to “early-stage” or “basic” science, has led to major technological breakthroughs, including the MRI machine, the GPS and artificial intelligence. It’s also funded projects that have advanced the internet, the cellphone, mRNA vaccines and companies like Google.

“One never knows if an investment today whose outcome is unknown will lead to a tool everyone can benefit from … or an industry of the future,” said France Córdova, who served as NSF director under both former President Obama and Trump. “That’s why it is so important to invest in basic research.”

Trump’s 2027 budget request, released last week, seeks to cut NSF funding by more than 50 percent. The Office of Management and Budget did not return a request for comment on why the administration wants to reduce funding at the agency, but a spokesperson from the NSF said it “reflects a strategic alignment of resources in a constrained fiscal environment.”

Previous grant cancellations at the NSF largely revolve around diversity, equity and inclusion, and misinformation or disinformation that the administration stated “were not aligned with agency priorities.” Staffing cuts were made as part of broader cost-cutting efforts made by the federal government to limit bureaucracy.

The Trump administration did not return a request for comment on the changes to the NSF’s scope.

Although Congress eventually passed an almost full NSF budget for 2026, despite Trump also pushing to cut funding in half last year, former leaders and experts in the field are still sounding the alarm over the future of the “crown jewel” of American scientific research and innovation as grant funding stalls and staffing declines.

“The Trump administration, as far as I’m concerned, destroyed the old NSF and tried to create a new organization,” said Neal Lane, who served as NSF director from 1993 to 1998. “It’s unrecognizable.”

Last year in February, Trump’s now-disbanded Department of Government Efficiency cut the NSF’s staff by 10 percent. At a National Science Board meeting this February, NSF Chief Management Officer Micah Cheatham said the agency has approximately 1,300 people employed — a 35 percent decrease from the same time last year and a staffing level he described as “too low.”

“We have tons of friends at the NSF,” Stand Up for Science CEO Colette Delawalla told The Hill. “We’re constantly hearing about how burnt out these people are, how frustrated they are. Folks are just trying to stay in their positions so that the agency doesn’t go underwater.”

This past January, the NSF also moved from its long-time Virginia headquarters, which now hosts the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A lease for a new building has been approved, but most NSF staff continue to work remotely, with no set date for a return to the office.

The agency has also been operating without a permanent leader since April 2025. Trump-appointed former Director Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan resigned amid the administration’s funding and staffing cuts. Brian Stone, the NSF’s chief of staff, has since performed the duties of director in the interim.

Last month, Trump appointed former Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill to helm the research agency. His nomination was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for consid