Federal science agencies lose about 95,000 jobs, Congress softens 2026 cuts

In short: Federal science and climate agencies lost about 95,000 jobs in 2025, and Congress later blocked many of the steepest funding cuts proposed for 2026.

What's going on

About one year after the Trump administration took office in January 2025, federal agencies that do science, weather, health, and environmental work saw major staff reductions. By December 2025, about 95,000 jobs had been cut across these agencies, roughly a 12% drop overall. Agencies tied to the environment and public lands were hit harder, with losses up to about 20%.

Some of the biggest staff declines were reported at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NASA, with each losing more than 20% of their workers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also reportedly lost more than 20%. The wider federal workforce was also reduced, down about 10% by November 2025.

Budget plans for fiscal year 2026 (the government’s next spending year) show a different picture than what the White House originally requested. Congress rejected many of the largest proposed cuts, including big reductions floated for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Final funding includes a small cut for NSF, a slight cut for NASA, flat funding for NOAA (the agency that runs weather forecasts), and a small increase for the DOE Office of Science.

What to watch

Even when budgets are kept near flat, losing experienced staff can have long-lasting effects, like a library losing its catalog system and the people who know where everything is. Watch whether agencies can keep up with key work like weather forecasting, health and safety reviews, and climate and ocean research, and whether Congress continues to push back on deeper cuts in future budgets.

Source: NYTimes