Gil on the Hill: More Budget, More Problems
Spring is here and so is the debate on the budget. The Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) President’s Budget Request (PBR) is out and the appropriations process is in full bloom, even if one small but important piece of FY26 lags behind in the form of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Meanwhile, states continue to step up and address the most pressing science and technology gaps.
FY27 Science Funding: “Aww Mom, science cuts for budget again!?”
As expected, there are more deep cuts for science R&D in the FY27 PBR.
- Not So Fast: Appropriators on both sides are already signaling skepticism towards sweeping cuts and changes, such as Senator Moran‘s (R-KS) concerns about eliminating the National Institute for Standards and Technology’;s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
- More $$$ for AI: According to Department of Energy (DOE) Chief of Staff, Carl Coe, his agency “will need a lot more” funding to hit Genesis Mission targets. That says a lot from the guy who used to lead DOE’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts.
- Power of the Purse: FY26 oversight is still important as ever, and the House Science Committee minority released an impressive report detailing how NASA implemented unauthorized (read: illegal) cuts in last year’s budget in accordance with the FY26 PBR. It’s impossible to overemphasize how important it is to keep attention on this.
- “In 2025, NASA acted in concrete and formal ways to implement the proposals of the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 PBR).”
Trump to NSB: “You’re Fired!” A moment of silence for science governance
All 22 members of the National Science Board (NSB) have been fired as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and science at-large absorbs the latest blow to its basic operation from this administration. The NSB is mandated by law and appointed by the president. It advises the NSF, Congress, and the president on science.
- Bc the Constitution?: There is little explanation for the dismissal, other than comments to Inside Higher Ed regarding the constitutionality of the board’s membership without Senate confirmation. Meh.
- Lots of Change: This comes as we await a new NSF leader – Jim O’Neill – and NSF deals with sweeping changes like the elimination of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate.
- Grants Still Slow: This massive loss of leadership only compounds the slow-trickle of science grant approvals and accusations of politicization. So far, this administration has canceled or suspended nearly 1,400 NSF grants. The NSF has only doled out 758 grants compared with 2,327 grants the same time last year.
Labs of Democracy: States keep pushing on S&T policies
States have no choice but to deal with the ever-pressing issues associated with the AI explosion and uneven federal support for innovation. We’re continuing to see the “Patchwork-Moratorium” AI policy tension play out at federal and state levels on both data centers and safety.
- AI legislative action highlights include:
- Maine’s governor vetoed a bipartisan moratorium on large data centers that would have made them the first state to do so.
- Florida is seriously considering an “AI bill of rights,” with the Governor and allies pressuring the legislature to act on tech accountability and child safety.
- States are investing in entrepreneurship
- Indiana is investing $15M to attract international tech startups through a venture initiative tied to Israel.
- West Virginia is launching a new Office of Entrepreneurship to support startups and small businesses navigate state agencies and processes
Looking to May
May brings more appropriations process fun as the committees scrutinize the president’s FY27 budget request and compose their own funding bills (which we can expect will again rebuke the massive proposed cuts to science).
This contentious summer period will reach a boiling point as we arrive closer to the midterms, making meaningful legislating even more complicated. Congress is racing to get laws passed on pressing matters like AI and housing as well as standing business like FY27 funding.
No one will be surprised if we end up with a continuing resolution to push our shutdown deadline out past the midterms, so the real question is what else will they get done this summer? We know this Administration will be staying busy.
There are lots we didn’t cover, so we’ll just have to talk again soon!
Once upon a time, the President’s budget was a realistic proposal to Congress about what the federal government should spend money on. These days, it’s essentially just a declaration of everything the President would do if Congress didn’t matter at all.
Surprise! It’s a double album drop with the release of both the President’s Budget Request (PBR to us, not Pabst Blue Ribbon) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) last Friday.
Nestled in the cuts and investments of interest to the S&T community is a more complex story of how the administration is approaching the practice of science diplomacy.
As Congress begins the FY27 appropriations process this month, congress members should turn their eyes towards rebuilding DOE’s programs and strengthening U.S. energy innovation and reindustrialization.