Dear ESA Member:
As you may know, President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget request sent to Congress cuts research accounts across federal agencies that would devastate America’s scientific enterprise.
The ecological community is facing unprecedented hurdles to see strong funding for science in FY26. Each of you has an important role as a constituent to let your Member of Congress and your state elected officials know how and why strong federal funding for science benefits you, your state and the nation.
We cannot assume that Congress will draft reasonable FY26 appropriation bills and disregard the president’s budget request.
The president’s budget request would devastate the research community:
- The National Science Foundation would see a 56% percent cut, reducing its budget from $8.8 billion to $3.9 billion.
- The USGS would see a 39% cut and its budget would be reduced from $1.4 billion to $891 million. ESA, with over 70 organizations, sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Burgum advocating for the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area last week before the release of the president’s budget.
- The EPA would see a 54% cut and its budget would be reduced from $9.1 Billion to $4.2 billion.
Take these actions today to advocate for science!
(tools and resources below)
- Call, write and/or visit your members of Congress.
Dial the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senators and Representative. - Meet with your Member of Congress’s staff person in their local or DC office.
- Call and write your State Representative and Governor (large amounts of federal funding goes to states).
- Use social media to reach your Member of Congress.
- Write an op-ed or letter to the editor for your local newspaper about the importance of science.
We thank you for contacting federal and state lawmakers to ensure that FY26 appropriation bills restore funding for scientific research ― especially for ecological research.
Thanks for your consideration,
ESA Public Affairs Office
Here are some tips to develop a short, concise message.
Step 1. Start with a High-Level Talking Point
Example: Our nation’s research enterprise is among the most powerful engines for American prosperity. Proposed FY 2026 Budget would devastate scientific research! One of the consistent areas o orf bipartisan agreement over the past 70 years has been the importance of the federal government’s role in supporting research and innovation.
Step 2. Share Your Personal Story!
Tell them your personal story about how budget cuts are directly affecting you and/or your lab and how they relate to the district or state. Personal stories are the most compelling and effective.
Highlight drastic cuts proposed by the FY26 President’s Budget to key agencies important to you:
- NSF: $3.9 billion, a 56% decrease
- EPA: $4.2 billion, a 54% decrease
- NOAA: $4.799 billion, a 24% decrease
- DOE, Office of Science: $7.092 billion, a 14% decrease
- NASA: $18.8 billion, a 24% decrease
- USFWS, Ecological Services: $251 million, a 12.8% decrease
- USFS, Forest & Rangeland Research (not including Forest Inventory Analysis): $0, a 100% decrease
- USGS: $891 million, a 39% decrease
- The budget request “eliminates programs [within USGS] that provide grants to universities” and that focus on climate change, among other things
Step 3. Say Thank You!
Thank your Member of Congress for their support for the FY 2025 R&D budget and sustainable funding for our nation’s science and tech agencies. Ask them to continue sustainable, predictable funding and urge them to prioritize these investments and reject the administration-proposed cuts to science as they begin to craft the FY 2026 funding bills.
Resources:
- ESA Policy Toolkit: tools to make sure you’re well-equipped when talking with decision-makers
- View ESA’s “Communicating with Congress” webinar
- Contact your federal Congressional delegation: one Representative and two Senators.
- Contact your state legislators.
- Contact your Governor.
