The US Senate Committee on Appropriations is poised to disregard President Trump's proposed significant budget cuts to science agencies like the NSF and NASA. While a vote was scheduled, it was delayed due to an unrelated issue regarding the FBI's new headquarters. Trump's budget proposal, which could eliminate a third of federally-funded basic research, is facing strong opposition from scientists and advocacy groups. The Senate committee's bill suggests a minor reduction of 0.67% for NSF, safeguarding essential NASA missions that would have faced termination under Trump's plans.
Earlier this week, the American Association for the Advancement of Science released an analysis suggesting that Trump's proposal would cut all federally-funded basic research by one-third.
This bill protects key science missions,” Jerry Moran, a Republican senator from Kansas, said at the meeting.
Under the Senate committee's bill, the NSF budget would drop by only 0.67%, rather than by 57% as Trump requested, and many NASA space and Earth-science missions would continue rather than being shut down.
The campaign appears to be working: scientists, advocacy groups and lobbyists have been pleading with members of Congress in the past several weeks to protect funding for research agencies.
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