Krishnamoorthi Calls on Trump Administration to Halt Deep Cuts Threatening U.S. Science and Innovation Leadership

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), today called on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell T. Vought to explain and reverse the Trump Administration’s proposed and enacted cuts to America’s leading scientific and research institutions — reductions that threaten to undermine U.S. competitiveness with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Under Director Vought’s leadership, the Administration’s 2026 budget proposal would slash federal funding for basic scientific research from $45 billion to $30 billion, a 34 percent decrease. Overall science and R&D funding, including applied research and facilities, would fall from $198 billion to $154 billion, a 22 percent reduction.

“With the recent wave of RIFs you are personally overseeing, this loss of talent to the federal government is only getting worse,” Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi wrote. “But ultimately, it is the American people who will suffer the consequences.”

Economists estimate that every dollar invested in federal R&D generates between $1.40 and $2.10 in economic output, creating jobs, startups, and long-term economic growth. The Administration’s cuts could reduce U.S. economic output by more than $46 billion annually, eliminate 10,700 research positions, and result in 860 fewer STEM Ph.D. graduates each year.

Meanwhile, China’s R&D investment reached $500 billion in 2024, a 48 percent increase since 2020, as Beijing continues expanding funding for science, technology, and education. These trends, coupled with aggressive talent recruitment programs, are helping the PRC attract top global scientists — including dozens leaving U.S. institutions.

Krishnamoorthi has formally requested that Director Vought provide a detailed explanation of whether OMB has conducted any assessment of how these cuts will impact U.S. economic and scientific competitiveness relative to the PRC, and is requesting response to the following questions:

• Has the Office of Management and Budget conducted any assessment of how proposed and enacted budget cuts to federal research agencies, including NSF, NIH, NASA, CDC, and NOAA, will affect U.S. economic and scientific competitiveness relative to the PRC?
• Has OMB analyzed how reduced funding for scientific institutions and workforce programs will impact America’s innovation pipeline, including university research capacity and STEM talent development?

Read the letter HERE.

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