Federal science agencies facing a 'generational loss,' nonprofit says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Federal science agencies facing a ‘generational loss,’ nonprofit says

New research from the Partnership for Public Service finds that many science agencies were cut deeply in the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls.

Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED
June 9, 2026 6:31 pm
4 min read

Amid the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls, some federal science agencies appear to be bearing the brunt of the changes, according to new research from the Partnership for Public Service. ... Federal workforce reductions, cuts to resources, and plans to increase political influence in the grantmaking process are all leading to declines in scientific development and innovation, said Max Stier, the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

The effects, Stier said, will be felt for decades to come. ... “We’re talking about a generational loss here,” Stier told reporters during a press call last week. “This is not something that can be turned on and off like a light switch. We’re seeing the destruction of something that was invested in over 50 years, and it’s disappearing in the space of, so far, 18 months.”

Currently, there are about 726,000 federal employees working at science-related agencies, according to the latest workforce numbers from the Office of Personnel Management. That’s after a decrease of close to 118,000 federal employees working in scientific fields between September 2024 and February 2026, the Partnership noted in a June 2 report.

While the federal workforce overall has shrunk by about 12% under the Trump administration, a large portion of those staffing losses, roughly 40%, came from science-related agencies, the report found.

{snip}

Drew Friedman
Drew Friedman is a workforce, pay and benefits reporter for Federal News Network. Follow @dfriedmanWFED
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[SamuelAdams]

1. Not a surprise.

Republicans have been attacking science for decades, whether climate science, evolution, now vaccines. Much of our technology was developed through government funding. Medical research is heavily dependent on government funding. Funding cuts lead to job losses even in the private sector. High school and college students interested in science will follow other career paths due to these cuts. We are discouraging a generation of Americans from pursuing scientific careers and it's a huge loss for everyone.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

2. They are crippling our economic engine

Destroying our future and handing China scientific domination on a silver platter. Find Russell Vought and do whatever it takes to remove him from OMB. He is the person responsible for this wanton destruction. Make him pay the consequences.

[Hope22]

3. Devastating!

And to the young people who would be moving into the field what is next for them?

[Martin Eden]

4. "workforce overhauls."

Gee, that sounds pretty benign, like reorginizing to make scientific agencies more efficient and effective.

As I recall, Trump empowered Elon Musk to take a chainsaw to federal agencies, cutting and slashing with no understanding of how they operate and no regard for the purpose for which they were established.

Actually, it's worse than lack of regard. It is antipathy for science and expertise that runs counter to the agenda of this regime in its ravaging of the environment for profit.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. My Republican-to-honest bilingual dictionary equates the Republican "reform" with the honest "destroy".

It's been that way since Reagan, at least.

[Old Crank]

5. It would be interesting to know

The ratio of scientists to support staff ( administrators, office workers, maintenence workers, and the like) to scientists doing research. And be able to compare pre staff cuts and after. Did they boot a higher percentage of scientists from the research agencies or not. I suspect yes. If so we will see a further reduction based on support staff not being needed.

It will be interesting to see how many flee to greener pastures or countries.

[Coloradan4Truth]

7. I was one of them.

I had seven years left to contribute, but I wasn't going to spend four of them implementing his crazy executive orders.