[Updated on February 21 with additional details]
The 2025 National Science Foundation (NSF) layoffs—stemming from budget freezes and aggressive federal downsizing—could reduce National Science Foundation staff by up to half, threatening the agency’s ability to fund critical research nationwide. Amid projections of a multibillion-dollar shortfall under the CHIPS and Science Act and a new executive order pushing rapid workforce reductions.
As of February 21, the agency remains under a short-term continuing resolution that expires on March 14, according to COSSA.org, leaving the NSF budget in limbo. In a February 11 statement, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) alleged that over $2 billion had been “diverted” to DEI-related programs, lauding the White House for “taking a sledgehammer to the radical left’s woke nonsense,” as noted on the Senate Commerce Committee website. Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that layoffs targeting probationary NSF employees have already begun, with some workers given only minutes to clear out their offices.
In a newly disclosed wave on February 18, NSF reportedly fired about 168 employees—roughly 10% of its workforce—in a single morning, many via a Zoom call, with some permanent staff included after retroactive probationary status changes, as Wired reported.
Outside of NSF, some terminated employees at various science-focused agencies were later asked to return to work, such as the National Nuclear Security Administration and United States Department of Agriculture (employees focused on bird flu). For instance, approximately 300 NNSA employees were initially let go, but all but 28 were ultimately reinstated upon discovery that critical staff had been mistakenly terminated, according to AIP.org.
The development comes as Nature and others have noted that, while the U.S. remains the world’s research superpower, that China is quickly catching up and could be the world’s top R&D spender by 2030.
Trimming or halting grant awards
In the face of the cuts, NSF, a major funder of basic research in the U.S., would be forced to considerably reduce or halt grant awards, potentially impacting thousands of researchers, universities, and projects. NPR indicates that the grant payment system is still experiencing delays.
In 2024, the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s spending caps resulted in an 8% cut to NSF’s budget compared to the prior year, leaving NSF roughly $6.6 billion below the funding targets Congress had set in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.
Charting NSF Funding: Historical appropriations vs. future scenarios
Historical data sourced directly from the National Science Foundation establishes the historical funding baseline. Using a linear regression model, we extend this trend to project future funding—and overlay widely reported 25% and 50% cut scenarios.
The 2025 NSF layoffs—stemming from budget freezes and aggressive federal downsizing—did not emerge in a vacuum. Early in 2025, a series of executive orders from the White House placed multiple science agencies under a funding freeze while also directing them to reduce staffing within short timeframes. In particular, the newly formed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) issued a mandate instructing agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) to cut staff by 25–50% to meet strict budget targets. This directive went beyond routine belt-tightening: the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) began compiling lists of staff on probation (who can be more easily dismissed) and rolling out buyout programs offering “incentives” for employees to resign.
According to internal communications in early February 2025, NSF leadership confirmed that the agency may lay off roughly 375 to 750 employees—over the next several months. OPM has characterized these reductions as part of a government-wide push to downsize federal agencies, describing the buyout offers as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for employees to leave voluntarily before forced cuts. A federal judge, however, issued a temporary restraining order on February 6 blocking the administration’s “deferred resignation” program. Consequently, that delayed immediate layoffs until legal challenges were resolved.
The administration is also reportedly considering slashing NSF’s annual budget from approximately $9 billion down to about $3–4 billion. Such a drop would significantly impact the agency’s capacity to manage current and future research grants. While NSF has not officially commented on the precise scale of layoffs or budget cuts, lawmakers, including Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), have sought for clarification regarding reports involving staff reductions as high as 50%. In addition, federal employee unions have also filed lawsuits to halt the buyout program.
Universities and state governments also secured a temporary injunction on February 10 against a proposed 15% overhead cost cap for research grants, according to CalMatters.org. A follow-up hearing on February 21 will determine whether that cap remains blocked. University leaders claim that such cuts would lead to widespread layoffs and lab closures, echoing reporting from The Guardian and other outlets. Today’s hearing on the 15% overhead cost cap is underway, with stakeholders awaiting the judge’s decision which could have significant implications for research funding.
Key administration figures of the current administration have criticized NSF’s support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The NSF has scrubbed multiple DEI references from its website, including a 2022 announcement of the appointment of a chief diversity officer.
Operational disruptions within NSF
Suspension of grants and salary payments: NSF leadership responded by pausing new grant awards and, in some cases, temporarily delaying salary payments to scientists and administrative staff. Researchers whose grants were already in progress suddenly found themselves in limbo—uncertain whether they could continue paying their students, postdocs, or lab technicians. While grant processing has officially resumed, the backlog from the January freeze caused delays in disbursements.
Targeted workforce reductions: The Office of Personnel Management first targeted probationary employees as they were deemed easier to remove. Some were offered a buyout, a program that was temporarily put on pause, according to The Washington Post. Sources within NSF indicate that further rounds of layoffs may target specific departments or programs deemed lower priority by the administration, as Wired has noted.
With an annual budget of $9–10 billion (prior to 2025 cuts), the NSF has historically funded roughly 25% of federally supported basic research at 1,800 institutions in the United States. In FY2023 alone, NSF provided some 11,000 awards that supported more than 350,000 researchers, postdoctoral fellows, teachers, and students nationwide.
Prior FY 2025 budget request from NSF
| Abbreviation | Directorate / Account | FY 2024 Enacted Budget ($ millions) | FY 2025 Request ($ millions) | Change ($ millions) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIO | Directorate for Biological Sciences | 844.91 | 862.93 | 18.02 | 2.1% |
| CISE | Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering | 1,035.90 | 1,067.58 | 31.68 | 3.1% |
| ENG | Directorate for Engineering | 797.57 | 808.14 | 10.57 | 1.3% |
| GEO | Directorate for Geosciences | 1,591.79 | 1,662.50 | 70.71 | 4.4% |
| GEO: OPP | Office of Polar Programs (within GEO) | 538.62 | 588.83 | 50.21 | 9.3% |
| U.S. Antarctic Logistics Activities | U.S. Antarctic Logistics Activities | 94.20 | 106.00 | 11.80 | 12.5% |
| MPS | Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 1,659.95 | 1,681.63 | 21.68 | 1.3% |
| SBE | Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences | 309.06 | 320.41 | 11.35 | 3.7% |
| TIP | Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships | 664.15 | 900.00 | 235.85 | 35.5% |
| SBIR/STTR | Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs | 266.54 | 279.21 | 12.67 | 4.8% |
| OCRSSP | Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy | 9.85 | 15.52 | 5.67 | 57.6% |
| OISE | Office of International Science and Engineering | 68.43 | 68.43 | 0.00 | 0.0% |
| IA | Integrative Activities | 531.39 | 518.69 | -12.70 | -2.4% |
| U.S. Arctic Research Commission | U.S. Arctic Research Commission | 1.75 | 1.78 | 0.03 | 1.7% |
| Mission Support Services | Mission Support Services | 116.27 | 137.71 | 21.44 | 18.4% |
| Research & Related Activities2 | Research & Related Activities | 7,631.02 | 8,045.32 | 414.30 | 5.4% |
| STEM Education2 | STEM Education | 1,229.28 | 1,300.00 | 70.72 | 5.8% |
| Major Res. Equip. & Facil. Construction | Major Research Equipment & Facilities Construction | 187.23 | 300.00 | 112.77 | 60.2% |
| Agency Operations & Award Mgmt. | Agency Operations & Award Management | 463.00 | 504.00 | 41.00 | 8.9% |
| Office of Inspector General | Office of Inspector General | 23.39 | 28.46 | 5.07 | 21.7% |
| National Science Board | National Science Board | 5.09 | 5.22 | 0.13 | 2.6% |
| Total, NSF Discretionary Funding | Total, NSF Discretionary Funding | 9,539.01 | 10,183.00 | 643.99 | 6.8% |
| Advancing Scientific Discovery: Artificial Intelligence | Advancing Scientific Discovery: Artificial Intelligence | – | 50.00 | 50.00 | N/A |
| STEM Education – H-1B Visa | STEM Education – H-1B Visa | 192.54 | 138.93 | -53.61 | -27.8% |
| Donations | Donations | 40.00 | 40.00 | – | – |
| Total, NSF Mandatory Funding | Total, NSF Mandatory Funding | 232.54 | 228.93 | -3.61 | -1.6% |
| Total, NSF Budgetary Resources | Total, NSF Budgetary Resources | 9,771.55 | 10,411.93 | 640.37 | 6.6% |
