Trump Proposes Devastating 55% Cut to National Science Foundation in 2027 Budget, Eliminates Social Sciences Division Entirely

The Trump administration has proposed massive budget cuts to US science agencies for the second consecutive year, with the National Science Foundation facing a devastating 55% reduction that would eliminate its entire Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate.

The 2027 budget proposal, released Friday, would slash NSF funding from $8.8 billion to $4 billion, cut the Environmental Protection Agency budget by more than 50%, and reduce the National Institutes of Health budget by 13%. NASA faces a 23% overall cut with a 47% drop in its science division, while more than 40 space projects would be terminated.

At an internal all-hands meeting on Friday, NSF leaders announced plans to dissolve the SBE directorate based on the budget request, though the proposal maintains funding for behavioral and cognitive science research aligned with administration priorities.

The proposal would maintain funding for quantum information and artificial intelligence research "to ensure the United States remains on the cutting edge," with increased applied research funding at defense and energy departments. However, basic quantum and AI research funding at NSF would be cut by 37% and 32% respectively.

The budget also includes a ban on federal funds for academic journal subscriptions and publishing fees. The military would receive $1.5 trillion, a 44% increase.

"It's an extinction-level event for science," said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society. Congress rejected similar cuts for 2026, but with elections on November 3, the outcome this time is uncertain.