Science: “President Donald Trump today asked Congress to make massive and unprecedented cuts to the 2026 budgets of major federal science agencies. The request calls for cutting spending by 37% at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and more than 50% at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the country’s two major science funders. The White House also seeks to eliminate most federal spending on climate and ecological research and would cut NASA’s science budget by more than half, killing major planetary missions. Other agencies would face similarly harsh cuts. Overall, the partial, thinly detailed budget proposal calls for a 23%, $163 billion cut to what is known as nondefense discretionary spending—the roughly 15% sliver of the $7 trillion federal spending pie that includes civilian science funding. In contrast, the request calls for hefty increases in spending on defense and homeland security in the 2026 fiscal year that begins on 1 October. The White House says the request reflects the administration’s desire to reset research spending priorities. “President Trump recognizes that artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and nuclear energy are amongst the most important technologies of our lifetime. They are crucial to maintaining our economic and national security,” Victoria LaCivita, spokesperson for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement. “The administration is refocusing investments in the priority areas that America must continue to lead in, securing our standing as a global tech leader and ending woke science spending.”..NIH, the nation’s leading medical research agency, would face a $18 billion reduction. The administration doesn’t just propose slashing funds; it seeks to radically restructure the agency, eliminating institutes that support minority health, international collaboration, and complementary medicine. Science would no longer be shaped by public health needs, but by political ideology. NSF, celebrating its 75th year, would see its $9 billion budget halved. Critical funding for environmental research and science education initiatives face deep cuts, and programs that support diversity in STEM would be, essentially, eliminated. Only politically favored technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing would be spared.NASA’s science programs also would be gutted. Flagship missions like the Mars Sample Return and climate monitoring satellites would be scrapped. NOAA would lose nearly all funding for climate and weather research. The CDC, DOE, EPA—each would face crippling reductions, cutting into the agencies responsible for protecting health, the environment, and energy security…”