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Silencing Science Tracker

OMB Proposes Changes to Federal Grant Funding to Ensure “Alignment” with Trump Administration Priorities

Date: 05/29/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Public Health, Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → OMB
Federal → White House
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget proposed major revisions to federal agency grant policies. The changes would, among other things, require a political appointee(s) to conduct a “pre-issuance review” of all discretionary grants to determine whether they “demonstrably advance President [Trump]’s policy priorities.”
Update Status: No Updates

Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Observatories Initiative

Date: 05/21/2026
Explanation: Research Hindrance
Scientists Affected: Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → NSF
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
On May 21, 2026, the National Science Foundation announced plans to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a deep-sea monitoring system comprised of more than 900 instruments that has collected ocean and climate data for over a decade.
Update Status: Reversed (Partially or Fully)

President Trump Dismisses Entire National Science Board

Date: 04/24/2026
Explanation: Personnel Changes
Scientists Affected: Climate, Other, Public Health
Agency(s):
Federal → NSF
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
On April 24, 2026, President Trump abruptly dismissed all 22 members of the National Science Board, the independent body that sets policies for the National Science Foundation. No information was provided about the dismissals or whether or when the board would be reconstituted.
Update Status: No Updates

CDC Blocks Report on Covid-19 Vaccine Benefits

Date: 04/22/2026
Explanation: Government Censorship
Scientists Affected: Public Health
Agency(s):
Federal → HHS
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Department of Health and Human Services halted publication of a study that found the Covid-19 vaccine cut emergency room visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by roughly half. The report was scheduled for publication in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s March 19 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Update Status: No Updates

Treasury Secretary Makes False Statement about Causes of Climate Change

Date: 04/14/2026
Explanation: Bias and Misrepresentation
Scientists Affected: Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → Treasury Department
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
On April 14, 2026, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made inaccurate remarks about climate change, saying “[w]e are going through cycles, and I believe that it is very difficult to deconstruct the reasons around why anything changes.”
Update Status: No Updates

NOAA Budget Cuts Proposed for FY2027

Date: 04/03/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → NOAA (Commerce Department)
Federal → OMB
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Trump administration’s FY2027 proposed budget calls for a $1.6 billion cut in funding for climate research and education programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Update Status: No Updates

NIH Budget Cuts Proposed for FY2027

Date: 04/03/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Public Health
Agency(s):
Federal → HHS
Federal → OMB
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Trump administration’s FY2027 proposed budget calls for cutting funding for the National Institutes of Health by $5 billion and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality by $129 million.
Update Status: No Updates

EPA Budget Cuts Proposed for FY2027

Date: 04/03/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → EPA
Federal → OMB
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 calls for cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by half and EPA grant funding by $1 billion.
Update Status: No Updates

NSF Budget Cuts Proposed for FY2027

Date: 04/03/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Climate, Other
Agency(s):
Federal → NSF
Federal → OMB
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027 calls for cutting funding for the National Science Foundation by more than half, from $8.8 billion in FY2026 to $4 billion in FY2027.
Update Status: No Updates

NASA Budget Cuts Proposed for FY2027

Date: 04/03/2026
Explanation: Budget Cuts
Scientists Affected: Other, Climate
Agency(s):
Federal → NASA
Federal → OMB
Presidential Administration: Trump Administration (Second)
Summary:
The Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027 calls for cutting funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by 23% from FY2026, including a reduction of $3.4 billion from the agency’s science mission directorate, which oversees dozens of active space missions and research initiatives.
Update Status: No Updates