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Trump Signs ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Enshrining Major Research Cuts as Scientists Stage Capitol Hill Science Fair

Researchers showcased cancelled projects in a Capitol Hill science fair to warn that deep proposed FY26 budget cuts could erode U.S. scientific leadership.

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Rita Roberts does research on skin wound healing in a lab in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago on March 05, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Researchers at universities around the country, who rely on federal grants from the National Institutes of Health to fund their research, are concerned about the future of their projects after the Trump administration cut funding for indirect costs that help universities to operate the research labs. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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A room full of people standing around a hand full of poster-sized presentations.

Overview

  • The new law codifies the termination of about 2,900 NIH grants and 1,600 NSF awards that were cancelled since January.
  • The administration’s FY26 budget request seeks further deep reductions across NIH, NSF and the Department of Education while eliminating funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.
  • A “science fair” protest held in the Rayburn Building foyer drew researchers displaying posters on cancelled studies and highlighting the impact on young scientists.
  • AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh warned that enacting the proposed FY26 cuts would end America’s global scientific leadership and jeopardize future health and security.
  • OMB Director Rachel Cauley defended the reductions as a move to defund “woke, weaponized and wasteful” programs and restore “real science.”