Trump Administration Targets National Science Foundation Social Science Funding

The Trump administration plans significant reductions in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), with a particular focus on its Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) division. The proposed budget would cut the NSF's overall funding in half and completely eliminate the SBE division. Although Congress dismissed similar proposals last year, the administration has dismissed all 22 members of the NSF board and announced the SBE division's closure during an all-staff meeting. This fiscal year's research budget for the SBE division is two-thirds less than the previous year, with only five social-science awards granted compared to around 250 typically. White House spokesperson Kush Desai emphasized a preference for 'hard sciences' over 'ideologically-driven social sciences.' Critics highlight the tangible benefits of social science research, such as enhancing kidney donor matching and retirement savings, while a coalition of 40 organizations cautioned about 'long-lasting, permanent damage' to national research efforts, particularly in AI and biotechnology, which depend on insights into human behavior.