Congress urged to block “shortsighted” research cuts

The President’s FY27 Budget Request (PBR), released earlier this month, proposes slashing investments in American research, including a 12% cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a more than 50% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

The American Association of Universities (AAU) has called on Congress to reject the “shortsighted” cuts, emphasising the damaging repercussions for the country’s health, security and economic leadership, weakening talent pipelines and US innovation. 

“Slashing the budget of America’s science agencies… would harm our global competitiveness, prevent the discovery of cures and new medical advancements and greatly slow the generation of knowledge that will drive the scientific and technological advances,” Toby Smith, AAU senior vice president for government relations and public policy told The PIE News.  

The proposals come after it emerged China has officially surpassed the US in research and development (R&D) spending, with the Asian superpower investing $1.03 trillion in R&D in 2024 as compared to the US’s $1.01 trillion. 

According to Smith, this should be a “fire-alarm warning, not a signal to hit the brakes”. “If we want to keep pace with China in areas such as AI and quantum, we simply cannot afford to cut public investment in American science,” he warned.  

Overall, the PBR proposes cuts to non-defence funding by $73bn, or 10%, while increasing defence spending by $445bn – 42%.  

Alongside slashing NSF and NIH budgets, the proposal includes 23% and 46% cuts to NASA and NASA Science respectively, and significant reductions for the departments of education and energy.  

What’s more, critics have said the requested 12% cut to the NIH would “turn the US overnight from the world’s unquestioned leader in biomedical research to last place among our competitor nations”, while reducing its capacity to cure terminal conditions. 

While acutely aware of the PBR’s potentially dire consequences, Smith said AAU was “cautiously optimistic” that – like last year – Congress would reject the most damaging cuts.  

In its current form, the PBR is not binding, and the proposals must pass multiple reviews in the House and Senate before the final budget is drawn up.  

The news that China has surpassed the US in R&D spending should be a fire-alarm warning, not a signal for us to hit the brakes.

Toby Smith, Association of American Universities (AAU)

On top of the immediate benefits, Smith emphasised the long-term importance federal funding, highlighting that America’s economic growth at the advent of AI wouldn’t have been possible had the government not supported fundamental research in the 1970s and 80s when industry had no interest in investing. 

“These cuts would also undermine the ability of America’s research universities to conduct cutting-edge research, support graduate students and postdocs, and remain magnets for top domestic and international talent,” he added. 

The US research environment is already under heightened pressure following more than a year of cuts and increased scrutiny from the Trump administration.  

In a recent survey, one in four US scientists reported their work had been significantly impacted by last year’s NIH restrictions that prohibit American researchers sharing federal grants with international partners.  

As US scientists increasing turn to more welcoming European destinations, Smith warned: “Science is truly international and cannot be done in a vacuum”, calling for policies that protect research without closing the door to international partners.  

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