From the FBI to NASA, Here Are Trump’s Research Cuts

The deep cuts to scientific research in President Trump’s first budget request met resistance from Congress. But federal research spending is already slowing. In the first seven months of 2017 the value of R&D contracts awarded by federal agencies fell 16 percent from the same period last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Government.* The drop can’t be attributed just to the churn of a new administration: In the first seven months of Barack Obama’s presidency, research contracts fell only 3 percent.

The Department of Commerce, which posted one of the biggest reductions, says the decline reflects a longer-than-usual wait for Congress to pass a funding bill. Federal contractors cite other factors, including the slow pace of political appointments, Trump’s hiring freeze, his attitude toward science, and agencies bracing for future cuts.