Don’t Push STEM Talent Out: The Case Against Science Agency Budget Cuts

Success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a key driver of U.S. competitiveness and long-run economic prosperity, as advances in these fields expand access to new and more productive technologies. Public investment plays a central role in sustaining this ecosystem. In particular, federal funding supports university research, which in turn helps attract and retain top doctoral talent in the United States, enabling them to contribute to cutting-edge research and innovation.

Despite this importance, the Trump administration has recently proposed significant cuts to key science agencies. For fiscal year 2027, the budget request includes a 54 percent reduction for the National Science Foundation (NSF), major cuts to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and a 23 percent reduction to NASA overall, a 28 percent cut to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and a 10 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among others.

These reductions are particularly concerning given NSF data showing that an increasing share of doctoral degrees are awarded in STEM fields and that a large proportion of these graduates pursue academic or postdoctoral positions in the United States, which are heavily dependent on federal research funding. Cuts of this magnitude risk reducing the availability of such positions and could ultimately push highly trained doctoral recipients to seek opportunities outside the United States.

Given these risks, Congress should reject the proposed cuts to federal science agencies and instead consider increasing their funding by at least 25 percent to expand academic and postdoctoral opportunities for doctoral researchers in these critical fields.

When the science and engineering (S&E) doctoral degrees category excludes social science and psychology, the share of doctoral students pursuing hard science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees is nevertheless increasing. From 2004 to 2024, the share of doctoral degrees awarded in hard STEM areas increased from 49 percent to 63 percent. (See figure 1.) This indicates that the United States is producing a growing number of STEM doctoral degree holders who contribute significantly to U.S. competitiveness, rather than growth being driven primarily by social science fields.

Figure 1: Science and engineering (without social science and psychology) share of total doctoral degrees awarded from 2004 to 2024

Accordingly, in 2024, the top three S&E areas with the highest share of doctoral degrees awarded were all hard STEM fields. Engineering ranked first, with the highest share of S&E doctoral degrees awarded at 19 percent, followed by biological and biomedical science at 17 percent and physical sciences at 9 percent. (See figure 2.) Social science and psychology followed, at 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Notably, computer science doctorates were relatively low at 5 percent.

Figure 2: Science and engineering (S&E) share of total doctoral degrees awarded in 2024, by area

Due to the United States’ robust employment opportunities, a growing share of hard STEM doctoral degree holders are staying in the United States after graduation for non-postdoc positions. NSF data show that from 2004 to 2024, the share of hard STEM research doctoral degree holders with non-postdoc postgraduation commitments in the United States rose from 23 percent to 31 percent. (See figure 3.) However, cuts to science agency funding could reduce this share in the future, as opportunities contract alongside funding.

Figure 3: Share of S&E (without social science and psychology) research doctorate recipients with postgraduation in the United States from 2004 to 2024

Many of these hard STEM doctorate recipients pursue non-postdoc employment in academia, where some positions are supported by federal grants. In 2024, for example, 50 percent of non-postdoc health sciences doctoral recipients pursued positions in academia, while 38.5 percent of math and statistics non-postdoc doctoral holders also pursued academia. Meanwhile, 27.6 percent of non-postdoc doctoral recipients in computer and information science, 17.9 percent in physical sciences, and 13.9 percent in engineering also pursued academic positions postgraduation. (See figure 4.)

Figure 4: Share of science and engineering doctoral recipients with U.S. non-postdoctoral commitment in academia in 2024, by field of study

Meanwhile, many hard STEM doctorate recipients pursue postdoctoral positions in the United States. In 2024, 47 percent of these recipients pursued a postdoc domestically. Many of these positions are funded by federal grants; for instance, NSF supports postdoctoral fellowships through its Funding for Postdoctoral Researchers program. However, the share of hard STEM doctorate recipients staying in the United States for postdoctoral positions declined from 56 percent to 47 percent between 2004 and 2024. (See figure 5.)

Figure 5: Share of S&E (without social science and psychology) doctorate recipients pursuing postdoctoral position in the United States

When disaggregated, a substantial share of doctorate recipients in various hard STEM fields pursue postdoc positions in the United States. In 2024, for instance, 65 percent of biological and biomedical doctoral recipients, 55 percent of physical sciences doctoral recipients, and 43 percent of math and statistics doctoral recipients pursued a postdoctoral position in the United States after graduation. Even at the lower end, 35.6 percent of engineering doctoral recipients and 25.1 percent of computer and information sciences doctoral recipients pursued postdoctoral positions in the United States after graduation. (See figure 6.) This underscores the need for more, not less, federal grant funding to support these pathways. In doing so, the United States can retain these highly trained researchers rather than lose their talent to other nations.

Figure 6: Share of science and engineering doctoral recipients pursuing postdoctoral positions in the United States in 2024, by field of study

Finally, increasing government funding for science agencies won’t just expand opportunities for doctoral recipients, but also increase the likelihood that temporary visa holders remain in the United States. This is because temporary visa holders generally choose to stay in the United States if given the opportunity. In 2024, 90.4 percent of biological and biomedical doctoral recipients with temporary visas remained in the United States after graduation. Similarly, 89.9 percent of computer and information science, 89.3 percent of engineering, and 86.9 percent of physical sciences doctoral recipients with temporary visas remained in the United States postgraduation. (See figure 7.)

Figure 7: Share of science and engineering temporary visa holders with definite commitments in the United States in 2024

In short, federal support for STEM research is not simply a budgetary line item, but a strategic investment in the nation’s future workforce, innovation capacity, and global leadership. Deep cuts to core science agencies risk weakening the very pipeline that produces and retains top talent, ultimately undermining U.S. competitiveness. At a time when other countries, such as China, are expanding their investments in science and technology, the United States cannot afford to scale back.

Congress should reject the proposed cuts to federal science agencies and instead consider increasing funding for each by at least 25 percent to expand academic and postdoctoral opportunities for doctoral researchers in these critical fields. Sustained, and even increased, federal funding is essential to ensure that the next generation of researchers continues to drive discovery, economic growth, and technological leadership in the United States.