On May 2, 2025, the White House released the Administration’s FY2026 President’s Initial Budget Request (PBR), or “skinny budget.” The $1.691 trillion request includes $1.011 trillion in total discretionary defense spending and $601 billion in total non-defense discretionary spending, including resources made available through reconciliation and other emergency funding. 

The budget would increase defense discretionary spending by 13 percent while reducing nondefense discretionary spending by 23 percent, or about $163 billion, compared to FY2025 levels. These reductions include a $17 Billion (40%) cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $4.9 Billion (55%) cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF), a $325 Million (28%) cut to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and a $1.3 Billion (18%) cut to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  

The budget would also eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It did not include information about the proposed budget for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

The Association of American Universities (AAU) responded in a statement:

“President Trump’s own proposed budget, if adopted, would set support for American science back decades and allow China to quickly surpass the United States’ global scientific and technological dominance in fields critical to our national security and future economic growth.”

The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) provided an analysis of provisions of interest to higher education, with APLU President Becker noting:

“[The] administration is proposing cuts to higher education and scientific research of an astonishing magnitude that would decimate U.S. innovation, productivity, and national security.”

The White House is expected to release a full budget request with more detailed, program-level spending information this month.