House science appropriators reject deepest Trump cuts

The House Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill, published last week, rejects some of the most drastic cuts to science proposed by the Trump administration, but would still significantly reduce funding levels at some science agencies if enacted.

The Republican-authored bill was advanced by the House Appropriations CJS Subcommittee last Thursday, April 30, by an 8-6 vote, with all Republicans supporting, and all Democrats opposing. A full committee markup session is scheduled for May 13. The Senate has not yet released any of its 2027 appropriations bills.

During the markup session, Republican committee members, including Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) and CJS Subcommittee Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY), spoke about the importance of investing in science and staying ahead of China, with both praising the success of NASA’s Artemis II mission. The House appropriations bill proposes flat funding for the space agency, in contrast with the 23% cut proposed by the Trump administration. CJS Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Meng (D-NY) noted, however, that the House proposal would still cut funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate by nearly $1.3 billion.

Both Meng and Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) also criticized the bill’s proposal to cut the National Science Foundation’s budget to $7 billion, $1.75 billion below last year’s. They also criticized the bill’s proposed cuts to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Excluding earmarks, NIST would receive about $1 billion, a $160 million cut from 2026. The bill would also cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget by 5%, while keeping funding for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy flat.

“I disagree with this bill’s approach,” Meng said during the markup. “As I have said repeatedly, I believe we should be doubling down on the investments in science that grow our economy and incentivize advancements that improve life for all Americans.”

Former NSF and NSB leaders call for leadership

Thirteen former National Science Board chairs and National Science Foundation directors released a letter over the weekend calling on the Senate to “act expeditiously” to confirm a new NSF director and for the White House to “quickly seat” a new NSB. The letter comes in the wake of the White House firing the entire NSB on April 24. NSF has been without a confirmed director since April 2025. President Trump has nominated former acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill to serve as NSF director, but the Senate HELP Committee has not yet scheduled a nomination hearing. The signatories include leaders who served during Republican and Democratic administrations dating back to the 1970s.

Golden Dome budget request draws scrutiny

The Department of Defense has requested a budget of $17.9 billion for President Trump’s Golden Dome project in fiscal year 2027 — a figure that has prompted bipartisan questions in recent budget hearings about how feasible space-based interception is, how long it will take to build a working system, and how much the system will eventually cost. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), for example, said in a hearing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week that he had heard estimates that the program might cost anywhere from $500 billion to one trillion dollars. “I know a little bit about intercepting stuff in space. It’s really hard, and the physics on this favors the offense,” Kelly said. The Trump administration continues to express optimism for the program, with the Space Force announcing last week that it has partnered with 12 companies to develop the technology needed to demonstrate an “initial capability in 2028.”

Also on our radar

• The House and Senate are taking a break this week from budget-related hearings and markups. The initial House version of the Energy-Water bill, which includes DOE, will likely be released next week ahead of its May 15 markup.
• The House Science Committee advanced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act last week, with some amendments. The Senate Commerce Committee passed its version of the bill last month.
• Senators introduced a bipartisan bill last week to codify the National AI Research Resource at NSF. The House’s version was introduced over a year ago.
• Janet Petro, the director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center who also served as the agency’s acting head from January to July 2025, announced her retirement last week.
• Trump issued an executive order last week that aims to make more government contracts fixed-price and reduce the use of cost-reimbursement contracts, though it acknowledges that the latter may be appropriate for projects that “involve research and development or pre‑production development for major systems acquisition.”

---

Your support keeps our community informed on the latest science policy news.

---

---

All events are Eastern Time unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.

Monday, May 4

European Geosciences Union: EGU26 General Assembly (continues through Friday)

NASA: 5th Eddy Cross-Disciplinary Symposium (continues through Friday)

CSIS: Meeting Strategic Demand for Batteries
2:00 - 3:00 pm

Tuesday, May 5

Air Force: Modeling, Simulation & Analytics Summit (continues through Friday)

NDIA: Spring manufacturing division meeting (continues through Thursday)

Economist Enterprise: Space Economy Summit Europe 2026: Sovereignty in space for advantage on Earth (continues Wednesday)

ITIF: Defending against the PRC’s techno-economic assault
1:00 - 2:30 pm

Brookings: The future of connected cars
2:00 - 4:00 pm

Johns Hopkins: SAIS technology happy hour
4:30 - 7:00 pm

Wednesday, May 6

NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards meeting (continues through Friday)

Aspen Institute: Writing an op-ed
9:00 - 10:00 am PST

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: 2026 Mort Abramowitz Junior Fellows Conference
9:30 am - 10:30 am

Thursday, May 7

Special Competitive Studies Project: AI + Expo (continues through Saturday)

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Chernobyl’s legacy 40 years on
9:00 - 10:15 am

NASEM: Condensed Matter and Materials Research Committee 2026 Spring Meeting
9:30 am - 3:00 pm

National Security Space Association: FY27 national security space budget briefing
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

NASEM: Committee on Enhancing the Reach and Contributions of Informal STEM Learning, second meeting
12:30 - 4:30 pm

NSF: NSF Office of Polar Programs updates office hour
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

AAAS: PFAS destruction technologies: Current methods, effectiveness, and unknowns
2:00 - 3:30 pm

Friday, May 8

NASEM: Frontiers of AI-Realized Metastable Materials: A workshop
8:30 am - 6:00 pm

House: Protecting workers and powering America: The future of mining
9:15 am CT, Education and Workforce Committee

Harvard Belfer Center: Preserving the NPT: When nuclear policies backfire
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Monday, May 11

Stimson: Modeling crises: AI’s role in disaster risk management and humanitarian action
3:30 - 5:00 pm

Hoover: Powering Global Cooperation: Innovation, Security, & Geopolitics
4:30 - 6:00 pm PT

---

Deadlines indicated in parentheses. Newly added opportunities are marked with a diamond.

Job Openings

◆AAAS: Biology reporter (ongoing)
◆AAU: Director, data policy and institutional research (ongoing)
FAS: Senior manager, climate tech and innovation (ongoing)
APLU: Assistant vice president for governmental affairs (ongoing)
APS: Chief marketing and communications officer (ongoing)
AIP: Director of science policy news (ongoing)
Science Philanthropy Alliance: Civic science fellow (ongoing)
◆DOE: Budget analyst, CESER (May 7)
DOD: Science adviser, Office of Naval Research (May 7)
◆APLU: Senior associate, data & policy analysis (May 8)
AAS: Editor in chief (May 11)
DOE: Associate director, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (May 11)
DOE: Associate director for finance and budget officer, ARPA–E (May 18)
Monmouth University: Director, Urban Coast Institute (May 18)
ANS: Congressional science and engineering fellowship (June 5)

Solicitations

NSF: RFC on renewal of the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (May 8)
NSF: RFC on Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (May 8)
House Appropriations Committee: Call to submit written testimony on FY27 science budget (May 8)
NSF: RFC on Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program (May 8)
FCC: RFC on Spectrum Abundance for Weird Space Stuff proposed rule (May 11)
◆National Academies: Call for experts, Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (May 11)
NOAA: Solicitation of nominations for membership on the Ocean Research Advisory Panel (May 14)
NIST: RFC on CHIPS Workforce Solution participant data collection (May 18)
NASA: RFC on NASA Front Door (May 19)
NIH: RFC on NIH-wide strategic plan for fiscal years 2027-2031 (May 26)
NRC: RFC on regulation of byproduct material associated with fusion machines (May 27)
◆NRC: RFC on licensing requirements for microreactors (June 15)

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

---

Do you have a story to tell about how science policy is impacting you?

AIP’s research team is gathering first-hand accounts from scientists, engineers, students, and staff whose careers have been affected by policy and funding changes over the past year. Volunteers can submit their stories via this online form. Participants’ stories will be added to the Niels Bohr Library & Archives digital repository as searchable, citable records — with options for anonymity and a five-year embargo period. Read more about the initiative here.

---

---

News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.

White House

Nature: Key US science panels are being axed — and others are becoming less open
NPR: Scientists see Trump’s firing of the National Science Board as an attack on research
The Conversation: How much should politics influence science, and vice versa? National Science Board’s ousting resurrects an existential debate (perspective by Caroline Wagner and James Olds)
Washington Post: Trump drops embattled surgeon general pick Casey Means, announces new nominee

Congress

E&E News: Senate sets action on more energy, environment nominees
Science: House spending panel bumps up Trump’s request for NSF and NASA
E&E News: House proposes cuts to NOAA, science in new funding bill

Science, Society, and the Economy

Scientific American: People trust vaccine scientists as much as other researchers, poll shows
Physics World: Oppenheimer unfiltered: Rare recordings released to the public (podcast)
New York Times: AI bots told scientists how to make biological weapons
Nature: Scientists to return to Fukushima — this time to study disaster recovery

Education and Workforce

NAS: National Academy of Sciences elects members and international members
New York Times: NIH reinstates employee put on leave after criticizing Trump research cuts
Chemical & Engineering News: New York center ranks academic institutions for ‘industrial readiness’
Nature: US faculty members report high levels of anxiety
US News & World Report: Convicted former Harvard scientist rebuilds brain computer lab in China

Research Management

Nature: To hire good scientists, look at their peer-reviewing records (perspective by David Comerford)
Nature: Why preprint servers are increasing moderation — and what that means for researchers
Issues in Science and Technology: A science funding system beyond the linear model (perspective by Heather Douglas)

Labs and Facilities

Lawrence Livermore National Lab: Two LLNL teams attend DOE’s Energy I-Corps Cohort 22
Los Alamos National Lab: Los Alamos scientists team up to advance the Lab’s AI mission
HPCwire: ORNL research boosts privacy, security in federated AI
Fermilab: Fermilab celebrates 2026 quantum science program graduates
Fermilab: Fermilab teams up with NIU to launch quantum science program
European Spallation Source: Jane Hvolbæk Nielsen appointed new director general of ESS

Computing and Communications

Physics World: AI could help human scientists pick promising research topics
FedScoop: Disclosed government AI use increased by 70% in 2025, per OMB
Nature: AI data hubs in space: When will they take flight?

Space

Planetary Society: Days after Artemis II, scientists warn of deep cuts to NASA missions
Scientific American: NASA chief Jared Isaacman hints at campaign to make Pluto a planet again
SpacePolicyOnline: House appropriators poised to reject proposed NASA budget cuts
SpaceNews: ISS module cracking still unresolved despite stopping air leaks
SpaceNews: Morocco signs the Artemis Accords
NASA Watch: Artemis II crew visits the White House

Weather, Climate, and Environment

New York Times: The EPA’s lost science
NPR: How Trump’s EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters (interview with Elizabeth Kolbert)
New York Times: Crop undercount raises questions about reliability of USDA data

Energy

Power: Fusion won’t replace energy policy (perspective by Guido Núñez-Mujica)
Scientific American: Fusion energy company Commonwealth applies to join a US power grid—a first
New York Times: How to build a better kind of nuclear power? This side hustle might help
American Nuclear Society: DOE selects first companies for nuclear launch pad
American Nuclear Society: NRC introduces microreactor regulatory framework

Defense

DOD News: Reauthorizations accelerate tech for War Department
Breaking Defense: Pentagon formally requests name change to War Department, setting up fight with Dems
Bloomberg: Anthropic plan to expand Mythos access is opposed by White House
Breaking Defense: Key takeaways from Hegseth’s day in front of the House (video)

Biomedical

Stat: Securing NIH awards is getting more competitive — and confusing
New York Times: The vaccine skeptic in Trump’s new CDC leadership team
Scientific American: DOJ indicts former Fauci adviser David Morens on charges related to COVID pandemic
Stat: Congress must hold RFK Jr. accountable after hearings (perspective by Michael Burgess and Larry Bucshon)
CSET: China races to build record biobank to rival US drugs research
Wired: How AI could help combat antibiotic resistance

International Affairs

Science|Business: Research commissioner pitches EU to US scientists and investors
Science|Business: Germany, Netherlands, and Italy gain AI researchers, France loses out
Science|Business: Associated countries seek bigger role in Horizon Europe agenda setting
Science|Business: EU governments hatch plan to secure key role in next Horizon Europe
Science|Business: More than 1,000 scientists reject new ERC resubmission rules
Nature: Hungarian science has undergone rapid changes
E&E News: Belgium eyes nuclear takeover to keep reactors running
American Nuclear Society: Nuclear Energy Strategy announced at CNA2026