Trump’s budget blueprint proposes severe cuts to climate science and clean energy research. NOAA’s climate operations face a $1.5 billion reduction with its research office potentially eliminated. The Department of Energy’s renewable programs would see a 74% cut, while the National Science Foundation loses half its funding. These cuts threaten vital climate modeling capabilities that help predict extreme weather events. The impacts could extend far beyond federal agencies into national preparedness systems.
The cuts specifically aim at $1.5 billion in “climate-dominated” NOAA operations, research, and grants. NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research faces a severe 74% reduction, with $1.3 billion cut directly from climate research funds.
Climate research faces devastating cuts with NOAA losing $1.5 billion from critical atmospheric science programs.
Major climate science infrastructure is at risk. Princeton’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory could be severely threatened, and NOAA’s research office might be “eliminated as a line office” according to budget memos. Scientists warn these cuts would damage climate modeling capabilities that “the world depends on” and create setbacks in climate preparedness from which the nation may never recover. This could drastically hinder American climate prediction capabilities, leaving the nation vulnerable to extreme weather events.
The Department of Energy‘s clean energy programs aren’t spared either. The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy department would see a 74% cut, losing $2.5 billion. Applied research would drop to $890 million, while the budget shifts focus toward fossil energy and nuclear technologies.
Overall, the blueprint proposes a 23% cut to nondefense discretionary spending, with science funding broadly affected. The National Science Foundation would lose over half its budget, with “woke social, behavioral, and economic sciences” specifically targeted. The proposed 50% reduction in the NSF budget would devastate fundamental scientific research that supports innovation and economic growth.
Environmental agencies face similar cuts. The EPA’s grants to non-governmental organizations would shrink, and the Interior Department would lose $80 million from renewable energy programs, with offshore wind funding specifically reduced. This follows a troubling pattern of environmental rollbacks, similar to when the Trump administration removed protections for Ruby Mountains in Nevada to allow energy development despite strong local opposition.
International climate commitments would be eliminated entirely, including the Global Environment Facility and Climate Investment Funds. The budget also cuts $15 billion labeled as “Green New Deal” funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The social impact could be severe, with the complete elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Scientists warn these cuts would increase vulnerability to infrastructure damage and have “huge impacts on infrastructure and lives lost.”
References
- https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-noaa-budget-cuts-climate-change-modeling-princeton-gfdl
- https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-s-proposed-budget-would-mean-disastrous-cuts-science
- https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2025/05/02/trump-proposes-deep-cuts-education-and-research
- https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trumps-budget-cuts-environment-121412024
- https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/05/05/trump-budget-proposal-includes-over-20-billion-in-energy-and-climate-cuts/
