A Review and Analysis of the FY2027 President’s Budget Request

National Science Foundation 

The FY 2027 budget request calls for a total of $3.96 billion for NSF, which would constitute a 54.7 percent cut to the agency. The Research and Related Agencies (R&RA) account, which is the account that directly funds grants for research, is slated to receive $3.4 billion or a cut of $3.8 billion or 52.5 percent below the FY 2026 appropriated level. 

Same as the previous year, the Administration calls for the consolidation of the STEM Education Directorate (EDU) into the R&RA account; currently, EDU receives its own appropriation from Congress separate from R&RA. 

Most concerningly, the budget request calls for the elimination of funding for the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) in FY 2027. According to the budget:

 “Continuing grants that align with Administration priorities, such as in behavioral and cognitive science, and all impacted employees will be transferred to other parts of the agency.” 

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), the NSF’s statistical agency, has historically been housed within SBE. Under the FY 2027 proposal, NCSES would “operate independently of the directorates and continue to be supported through the R&RA appropriations,” and would likely not be subject to the same elimination as the rest of the SBE Directorate. Despite this, the budget request still calls for $44 million or a 41 percent decrease to the budget for NCSES compared to the FY 2025 level. 

*In millions of dollars 

Department of Education 

The President’s FY2027 budget requests $76.5 billion in discretionary budget authority for the Department of Education, a $2.3 billion or 2.9-percent decrease from the 2026 enacted level. Continuing its request from last year, the budget requests the dismantling of the Department of Education and transferring several key functions and programs to other federal agencies through the expansive use of a process known as an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA). 

The budget calls for the elimination of programs focused on language education, international education, and minority serving institutions. It also calls for the establishment of a new program called the Make Education Great Again (MEGA) program, which is slated to subsume or replace several K-12 activities such as the American History and Civics Education programs. 

*In millions of dollars 

National Archives and Records Administration

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requests $419.7 million in discretionary budget authority for FY 2027, decreasing -$34.6 million from the FY 2026 enacted amount. Included in the request, is the elimination of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the sole grant program for historical research and preservation funded by NARA.  

*In millions of dollars 

National Endowment for the Humanities 

The President’s FY2027 budget request calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by October 1, 2026, and requests $38 million to conduct an orderly shutdown of the agency. Of that amount dedicate to closing NEH, $22.4 million would support 61 staff members who will be responsible for overseeing the active grants whose termination date extends beyond October 1, 2026, and $8.4 million would be allocated for purposes of continuing the Agency’s work on the National Garden of American Heroes. 

*In millions of dollars
** initiates termination of NEH by October 1, 2026 

State Department  

The President’s budget request reduces the State Departments overall funding by 30 percent. Included in the request are cuts to foundational programs for diplomacy and cultural exchange. The President’s budget requests a 78 percent decrease in funding for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.  

*In millions of dollars 

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