The Trump administration's budget request has proposed an unprecedented 57 percent cut to the National Science Foundation that would gut U.S. science funding—slashing basic research, clean energy, and STEM education. As scientists are reeling from the proposal, former NSF director Neal Lane warns that if the budget is enacted as is, it “would spell the end of any pretense that the U.S. leads the world in science and technology,” ceding leadership to China.
The Trump administration is proposing a 29% increase in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) weapons budget, a move that comes alongside deep cuts to other science-focused agencies. While the proposed increase aims to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal, Lane and others argue this undercuts broader scientific progress essential for national security and highlights a central contradiction: the NNSA's nuclear modernization effort relies on cutting-edge innovation that won't be possible with continued funding cuts to research entities.
Eyre took part in a two-day program hosted by the Business Collaborative for Brain Health, an alliance of private sector partners developing effective solutions to optimize cognitive health. The event brought together experts from two of Houston’s largest industries: energy and health care.
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser for the Trump administration, has laid out a plan for the U.S. to return to "gold-standard science." Kratsios said this would be achieved via strategic funding mechanisms like public-private partnerships and innovation prizes. Neal Lane, former science adviser to President Bill Clinton and ex-director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), notes that unless the current administration prioritizes science, research funding is at risk of significant cuts, which would hinder the nation's scientific progress and competitiveness.
Global business and policy leaders met in Houston to discuss strategies to establish the region as the global epicenter for brain health research, workforce development and innovation. Key initiatives specific to Texas and a series of recommendations for improving brain health developed during the two-day meeting, and they were taken to the Calgary, Canada G7 Summit in June.