NSF Budget Cuts Would Put the Future of U.S. Innovation and Security at Risk

A statement from the Computing Research Association (CRA)

Recent executive actions have raised the potential of significant budget cuts and mass layoffs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), a move that should cause deep concern to anyone worried about U.S. innovation, national security, and workforce competitiveness. Reducing the nation’s relatively modest, but highly productive investment in NSF, will have devastating consequences for the country’s position as a global leader in science and technology.

For decades, NSF has been the backbone of U.S. scientific and technological leadership. Its investments have fueled discoveries that drive entire industries, strengthen national security, and create high-paying jobs in emerging fields. NSF-funded research has driven groundbreaking advancements across scientific disciplines, fueling economic growth and strengthening U.S. global competitiveness. NSF delivers these benefits — including driving innovations in computing that power an IT sector contributing more than $2 trillion annually to U.S. GDP — with an astonishingly small investment. The agency’s entire budget, approximately $10 billion per year, would be a rounding error in many federal budgets, yet its impact on science, technology, and the economy is immense.

Why This Matters for American Prosperity

Federal support for research is not just an academic concern — it is a fundamental driver of national prosperity. In most major fields of science, NSF funds over 50 percent of basic research at U.S. institutions. The discoveries made possible by these investments fuel new industries, create jobs, and drive economic growth in every state.

Significantly cutting NSF’s budget would cripple America’s ability to sustain its technical workforce, economic competitiveness, and scientific leadership. The consequences would be far-reaching:

• Job Losses and Economic Decline – NSF-funded research has long been a catalyst for innovation that leads to the creation of high-growth industries. From the early days of the internet and semiconductors to today’s AI revolutions and high-performance computers, cutting NSF’s investments means fewer breakthrough technologies, fewer startups, and fewer high-paying jobs in fields that drive economic growth. It would also reduce the supply of skilled workers in key industries, limiting U.S. economic competitiveness.
• Weakened National Security – NSF research drives advances in cybersecurity, defense technologies, and critical infrastructure, all vital to national security. Cutting federal support would slow progress while competing nations continue investing in technology to gain military and economic advantages, putting the U.S. at greater risk.
• Loss of Research Talent – A reduction in NSF funding will force researchers to leave the field, drastically reducing the nation’s research capacity in computing and other critical areas. It would also disrupt the training and mentorship of students who are essential to sustaining the U.S. research enterprise, weakening America’s ability to lead in science and technology. 

Computing Research Especially at Risk

The impact of a significant NSF budget cut would not be evenly distributed across all disciplines. While NSF funds over 50 percent of basic research at U.S. institutions, NSF funds nearly 80 percent of fundamental computing research at U.S. institutions making it the single most important agency for sustaining advances in computing — the foundational technology behind artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and other areas critical to economic growth and national defense.

NSF’s support extends beyond academic institutions — it fosters public-private partnerships, develops the nation’s technical workforce, and sustains the innovation pipeline that U.S. industry relies on to remain competitive in the global economy.

Meanwhile, China is making historic investments in computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, openly stating its goal to become the world’s preeminent technological power. The U.S. cannot afford to unilaterally weaken its own leadership in these critical areas.

A Critical Moment for U.S. Leadership

For generations, federal investments in research and education have fueled American innovation, economic growth, and global leadership in science and technology. Technical innovation and breakthroughs with personal computers, the Internet, cloud computing, robotics, and other important fields started due to federal funding. A drastic cut to NSF would reverse that progress and cede the future to global competitors who are doubling down on their investments in science and technology.

Congress must act to reject any proposed cuts to NSF. The U.S. cannot afford to take a step backward. The choices made today will determine whether America remains the global leader in innovation — or if we allow others to take our place.