April 2026

The Trump administration released its FY 2027 budget request on April 3, proposing significant reductions to federal research agencies that support education research and statistics. The proposal mirrors last year’s FY 2026 request in calling for steep cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), alongside smaller overall cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The proposed funding levels stand in contrast to congressional action in FY 2026 appropriations, which largely maintained funding levels for these agencies. In the FY 2027 request, the administration proposes a 67 percent cut to IES, a 54 percent cut to NSF, and a 15.5 percent cut to NIH.

Institute of Education Sciences Faces Largest Reductions

The budget request includes $261.3 million for IES, a sharp decline from the $789.6 million provided in the final FY 2026 appropriations law. The administration also relies in part on comparisons to the FY 2025 “spend plan” agreed upon between the Department of Education and the White House Office of Management and Budget, rather than the enacted appropriations levels—an approach that obscures differences across program areas.

The proposal would eliminate funding for key programs, including the Regional Educational Laboratories and the Statewide Longitudinal Data System program. While the budget describes efforts to create a “more efficient, effective, and useful” IES, it provides little detail on how recommendations from a February 2026 report led by Amber Northern would be implemented.

Within research programs, the request indicates no new grants from the National Center for Education Research (NCER) in FY 2025 and only minimal new funding in FY 2027. Similarly, the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) would see limited new grant funding. Within the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), only select administrative data collections, such as the Common Core of Data and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, would continue, with just one longitudinal study, the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, maintained.

Despite these reductions, the request proposes an increase in staffing levels at IES, raising further questions about resource allocation.

AERA submitted public witness testimony to the House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee on April 16, highlighting the importance of funding IES at $900 million in FY 2027 and urged the subcommittee to reject the steep cuts included in the budget request.

NSF Proposal Would Reshape Research Priorities

The FY 2027 request proposes $3.96 billion for NSF, a 54.7 percent reduction from FY 2026 enacted levels. Under this funding scenario, NSF would award approximately 2,100 grants in FY 2027—down from 5,800 in FY 2025—resulting in an estimated funding rate of just 7 percent.

The proposal again calls for integrating the STEM Education (EDU) Directorate into the broader Research and Related Activities account and includes a 64.3 percent cut to STEM education programs. Funding would be prioritized in areas aligned with administration priorities, including AI, quantum science, and biotechnology and nuclear technologies.

Of larger concern to the research community is the proposed closure of NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate. According to the budget, some activities would be absorbed into other parts of the agency, while the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics would continue to operate independently, albeit with a 40-percent funding cut.

AERA is working with partner organizations, including the Consortium of Social Science Associations and the Federal of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, to advocate for preserving the SBE Directorate and highlight its impact.

NIH Funding Reduced but Structure Maintained

The administration proposes $41.47 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY 2027, nearly 15 percent below the $48.7 billion enacted for FY 2026. Unlike the prior year’s proposal, which suggested consolidating NIH institutes and centers, the FY 2027 request maintains NIH’s existing structure.

This includes continued support for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which would receive a smaller reduction of 6.67 percent.

In public witness testimony to the House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, AERA recommended at least $51.303 billion for NIH overall and $1.891 billion for NICHD, emphasizing the importance of sustained investment in health and education research.