Trump Administration’s FY 2027 Budget Proposals Spark Wide-Scale Funding Controversy

The administration’s FY 2027 budget proposals and a pending Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule would redirect or eliminate funding for several federal programs. Changes include diverting national-park entry fees to Washington, D.C. beautification projects, tightening political oversight of science grants, proposing the elimination of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), slashing the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) budget, and seeking $72 billion in additional immigration-enforcement funding.

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President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint, released in early May, emphasizes “advancing the president’s policy priorities” across health, housing, science, and transportation. The OMB rule, published in the Federal Register on May 29, would require political appointees to review grant awards before agencies issue them. Simultaneously, the Interior Department has approved unprecedented allocations of park-fee revenue to the National Capital Region, citing the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.

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Internal National Park Service documents show $90 million in fee revenue earmarked for D.C. projects, including $1.6 million for Fourth of July fireworks and $76 million for fountain repairs. The same documents indicate $105 million allocated to the capital region versus $27 million for all other parks combined. The CSB’s current budget is $14 million, while the IMLS receives $290 million annually; the administration proposes reducing IMLS funding to $6 million. A Senate reauthorization bill would provide $11 billion over eight years for park maintenance, less than half of the $24 billion backlog cited by the Washington Post.

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Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin defended the D.C. spending, saying the contracts were proper and that President Trump “has made Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful again.” An OMB spokesperson described the CSB as “an unconstitutional independent agency” that duplicates EPA and OSHA functions, justifying its proposed elimination. The OMB also asserted the grant-review rule would “improve the ability of agencies to identify and respond to waste, fraud, and abuse.” Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-3) emphasized the need to fill vacant CSB board seats and retain experienced personnel.

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Ed Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association called the fee diversion “not how it was designed to work.” Holden Thorp, editor of *Science*, warned the grant rule would “mortally wound the nation’s scientific enterprise.” Historian Tim Snyder likened the rule to “late Stalinism,” and the Infectious Diseases Society of America said it would replace scientific merit with “McCarthy-era politics.” Stand Up for Science’s Cole Donovan described the change as “the end of American science as we know it.” U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw (VA) warned that “the American people will pay the price” when research is denied for political reasons.

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The $90 million diversion is documented in internal NPS files but has not been confirmed by a White House spokesperson. The Senate’s $11 billion reauthorization contrasts with the $24 billion maintenance shortfall, leaving the funding gap unresolved. The OMB rule remains open for public comment until July 13, and no final decision has been announced.

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• “That is not how it was designed to work,” — Ed Stierli, senior director, National Parks Conservation Association

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• “While other administrations have let the city fall into decay, President Trump has made Washington, D.C., Safe and Beautiful again,” — Katie Martin, Interior Department spokesperson

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• “Although research has bipartisan support in the US Congress, and trust in science is above 75% across the country, the Trump administration seems as determined as ever to mortally wound the nation's scientific enterprise,” — Holden Thorp, editor, *Science*

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• “If this sort of rulemaking or rule-breaking becomes the norm, then government itself will cease to work,” — Tim Snyder, historian

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• “When we're designing a study to a new cancer therapeutic, do you want Russell Vought — who is not a scientist — to determine which immunotherapy is ready to go into a phase three trial?” — Elizabeth Ginexi, former NIH staffer

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• “This feels a little different this time, because I feel like in this world where we have so much chaos and conflict sort of going on, that this is when people need libraries the most,” — Robin Westphal, director, Daniel Boone Regional Library

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The OMB will review public comments on the grant-review rule after July 13 before issuing a final rule. Congress is expected to debate the IMLS budget cut and the CSB funding proposal during the summer appropriations session. Legal challenges to the grant rule are anticipated, and the Senate reauthorization bill for park maintenance will be considered in the coming weeks.

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