By Huri Mücahit In the proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year, President Trump has pushed for budget cuts to several science agencies, including the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. The cuts proposed within “A Budget For A Greater America” are aimed to reduce the national deficit of $608 million (Budget of the U.S. Government, 2020), despite an increase in funding for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. If approved, the budget is set to be in effect on October 1st. [caption id="attachment_2795" align="aligncenter" width="1662"]
Kate Rabinowitz and Kevin Uhrmacher, 2019[/caption] Potential funding sources for biology graduate students, post-doctoral students, and Principal Investigators are among the most affected as the NIH may lose 13% or $4.5 billion of its budget, reducing it from $31.8 billion to $26 billion. Within this budget, only $5.2 billion is allotted to the National Cancer Institute, as compared to $6.1 billion the previous year. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Institute Allergy and Infectious Diseases may also lose similar amounts. Increasing focus in health research, according to the budget, should be placed on opioid and pain research to counter the opioid epidemic. Within this proposal, the Trump administration once more makes its views on climate change research clear, as both the NSF and the EPA face significant cuts to their budgets, 12% and 31%, respectively. A mere $31 million is allotted towards climate research, with Mick Mulaney, Director of Office Management and Budget, stating, “[The NSF last year] used your taxpayer money to fund a climate change musical. Do you think that’s a waste of taxpayer money?”, during a press briefing in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the Office of Fossil Energy Research and Development, as well as the Office of Nuclear Energy, will receive higher budgets than previous years, if President Trump’s budget is approved. In addition, important environmental programs, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant (supporting more than 30 universities conducting research in coastal areas and the Great Lakes), the National Coastal Management Grants (which funds incentives for restoration of coastal resources), and the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Funds (which aims to counter drastic reduction of salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest) could potentially be eliminated. These proposed budget cuts are not new, as Trump has made similar requests for the past two years of his term, both of which were rejected by Congress members from both parties. This current budget is likely to be ignored, as well, as it’s anticipated that Congress will move to protect the threatened programs and uphold the current allotments. President Trump’s proposed budget has prompted Texas Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, chair of the House Science Committee, to state, “This proposal is simply absurd and shows a complete disregard for the importance of civilian R&D and science and technology programs”. To combat the proposed budget cuts to science funding, members of the STEM community can contact their state representatives, both within the House and the Senate. Additionally, graduate students and post-docs can also contact the Committee of Commerce, Science, and Transportation within the Senate, as well as the House Committees on Budget and Science, Space, and Technology to express their concerns. 
This article has been edited by: Jennifer Casiano, Monal Mehta, and Paulina Krzyszczyk
Citations
A Budget for a Better America - Budget of the U.S. Government. (2019 03 11).
Heidi Ledford, S. R. (2019, 03 11). Trump seeks big cuts to science funding — again. Retrieved 03 11, 2019, from Nature News.
Joel Achenbach, L. H. (2017, 05 23). Trump budget seeks huge cuts to science and medical research, disease prevention. Retrieved 03 11, 2019, from The Washington Post.
Rabinowitz, Kate and Kevin Uhrmacher (2019, 03 12). What Trump proposed in his 2020 budget. Retrieved 03 14, 2019, from the Washington Post.
Science News Staff. (2019, 03 11). Trump once again requests deep cuts in U.S. science spending . Retrieved 03 11, 2019, from Science News.