Administration proposes FY20 cuts to federal science programs
Funding for Earth system science would take a hit
Apr 10, 2019 - by Staff
Apr 10, 2019 - by Staff
On March 11, the White House released the administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget request, about a month behind schedule due to the December-January shutdown. Similar to previous spending requests, science funding and other non-defense discretionary spending were significantly cut. The proposed budget will encounter considerable opposition in Congress.
In addition to Congress passing funding bills, they are also facing an expiring resolution on the budget caps. Budget caps on spending were instituted in 2011 to reduce the deficit over the next ten years. Congress has been passing deals to raise the caps since then, with the most recent one expected to expire at the end of this fiscal year, on September 30. The president’s budget adheres to the lower cap levels, which play a role in the dramatic cuts to spending.
We are continuing to discuss with members of Congress the importance of federal investments in science. While we do not anticipate that these cuts will take place, we do want to make the Earth system science community aware of relevant numbers in the latest proposal.
Here are a few highlights:
NSF
NOAA
NASA
DOE
USGS
If you are interested in learning more about the budget process for key agencies providing funding for Earth system science, here are a few websites: