Scientists feared Trump would cut research funding — so far, the opposite has happened

When Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016, the scientific research community braced for the worst. Funding for science research had stalled in the past decade. And on the campaign trail, Trump talked about drastic cuts to federal spending. For scientists, his overall attitude caused concern, such as when he called climate change a “hoax.” When he released his budget request in May 2017, it did nothing to alleviate concerns that he’d decimate federal funding for scientific research. Across the nation, universities and researchers cautioned against it. “It was not a positive budget for the future of our country,” says Jennifer Poulakidas, vice president for congressional and governmental affairs at the Association of Public Land-grant Universities.