DOE Office of Science
(Office of Science)
Department of Energy22,000 researchers at 300+ institutions; 17 national laboratories; basic physics research
Summary
The Department of Energy's Office of Science funds basic physics, chemistry, materials science, and other fundamental research carried out at 17 national laboratories and more than 300 universities and institutions across the country. The FY2027 budget proposes cutting its funding by $1,100 million, a 15% reduction, with the administration saying it wants to shift money away from basic research and toward applied energy research areas like AI, quantum computing, and critical minerals.
Who Is Affected
About 22,000 scientists and researchers working at 300-plus institutions and DOE's 17 national laboratories, including major sites like Argonne and Oak Ridge, would see reduced federal support. University-based physicists, chemists, and materials scientists who rely on Office of Science grants for basic research, as well as graduate students and postdocs trained through these programs, are also affected, and several climate-and-environment-focused research programs would reportedly be eliminated entirely.
What this cut would actually mean
With less basic-research funding, national labs and universities would likely need to scale back experiments, delay facility upgrades, and cut research positions, meaning fewer discoveries in physics, chemistry, and materials science that often lead to future energy technologies. Because Office of Science research underpins long-term innovation rather than immediate products, the real-world effect would be slower scientific progress and a weakened U.S. research pipeline in areas like particle physics and climate science, even as some funding shifts toward AI and quantum computing projects.
Sources
- Department of Energy FY 2027 Request: Office of Science Faces Substantial Cuts - GovAffairs (CRA) — Details the FY27 DOE Office of Science request of $7.14 billion, a $1.26 billion (15%) decrease from FY26, and discusses shifts toward AI and quantum computing infrastructure at national labs.
- DOE's FY27 Budget Request: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Federation of American Scientists (FAS) — Confirms a $1.1 billion (-15%) cut to the Office of Science, noting climate change research would be removed and replaced by high-performance computing, AI, quantum information science, fusion, and critical minerals research.
- ESC Urges Congress to Reject Proposed FY27 DOE Office of Science Cut - Association of American Universities (AAU) — Describes the Energy Sciences Coalition's opposition to the cut, noting reductions to fundamental research across nearly every scientific discipline and DOE's network of 17 national laboratories serving universities and industry.
- Slasher sequel: Trump again proposes major cuts to U.S. science spending - Science (AAAS) — Reports the 15% proposed cut to DOE's Office of Science budget to $7.1 billion, alongside cuts to NSF, NASA, and NIH, and notes plans to eliminate programs focused on climate change and the environment.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Reduces basic research funding; focuses remaining resources on applied energy research.”