Federal science agencies facing a 'generational loss,' nonprofit says

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Federal science agencies facing a ‘generational loss,’ nonprofit says

New research from the Partnership for Public Service finds that many science agencies were cut deeply in the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls.

Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED
June 9, 2026 6:31 pm
4 min read

Amid the Trump administration’s workforce overhauls, some federal science agencies appear to be bearing the brunt of the changes, according to new research from the Partnership for Public Service. ... Federal workforce reductions, cuts to resources, and plans to increase political influence in the grantmaking process are all leading to declines in scientific development and innovation, said Max Stier, the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

The effects, Stier said, will be felt for decades to come. ... “We’re talking about a generational loss here,” Stier told reporters during a press call last week. “This is not something that can be turned on and off like a light switch. We’re seeing the destruction of something that was invested in over 50 years, and it’s disappearing in the space of, so far, 18 months.”

Currently, there are about 726,000 federal employees working at science-related agencies, according to the latest workforce numbers from the Office of Personnel Management. That’s after a decrease of close to 118,000 federal employees working in scientific fields between September 2024 and February 2026, the Partnership noted in a June 2 report.

While the federal workforce overall has shrunk by about 12% under the Trump administration, a large portion of those staffing losses, roughly 40%, came from science-related agencies, the report found.

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Drew Friedman
Drew Friedman is a workforce, pay and benefits reporter for Federal News Network. Follow @dfriedmanWFED
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