Trump Administration's Science Cuts Come for NSF Funding

image via New Scientist

April 18, 2025, 4:00 PM

• •The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has frozen all new research grants
• •DOGE is also now reviewing a list of active research grants assessed in February by the NSF for terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
• •The NSF has been under heightened scrutiny following the release of an October 2024 report authored by the office of Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas who now chairs the Senate Science Committee

The Trump administration has ordered the National Science Foundation (NSF) to freeze all new research grants. The move comes after a report by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) alleged that the NSF had awarded $2 billion in grants to questionable projects that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) tenets. The NSF is one of the largest funders of basic research in the world, with a budget of US$9 billion. It has been under fire from the Trump administration for its support of DEI initiatives. The House analysis found that the Cruz report contained a slew of embarrassing mistakes, including that it flagged grants completely unrelated to DEI initiatives, such as the genomic diversity of rice and female leopard seals. Additionally, 14% of the 3,483 grants were duplicates, so they were double-counted. The NSF has said that it will continue to issue awards, but it is unclear how the freeze will affect the agency's ability to fund important research.

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