Trump’s Proposed 2019 DoE and NASA Cuts, and Actual Increases

Trump’s Proposed Cuts to the Department of Energy and NASA, with their actual Congressional Increases.

Department of Energy Budget

In the following table for the science sectors of the Department of Energy, we give, in millions of dollars:  the 2019 budget; the Trump proposed 2020 budget; the actual 2020 budget; and, the percent increase over 2019.

DoE Sector 2019 proposed 2020 2020 increase
Office of Science 6,585 5,546 7,000 6.3%
Energy Efficiency and Renewables 2,379 343 2,790 17.3%
Nuclear Energy 1,326 824 1,493 12.6%
Fossil Energy R&D 740 562 750 1.4%
ARPA-E 366 0 425 16.1%

We note the total proposed cut for the ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, to explore new ideas.  We also note the proposed almost elimination of Energy Efficiency and Renewables research.  The Nuclear Energy sector regulates the safety of our nuclear reactors, and its cuts would have been dangerous.  The Office of Science funds fundamental research.

NASA Budget

Same columns as for the DoE budget, in millions of dollars.

Sector 2019 proposed 2020 2020 increase
Science Directorate 6,906 6,394 7,139 3.4%
Aeronautics 725 667 784 8.1%
STEM Engagement 110 0 120 9.1%
Exploration Systems 5,051 6,396 6,018 19.1%
Exploration Technology 927 1,146 1,100 18.7%

The first three are science sectors, and were reduced.  STEM engagement is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math engagement with students and the public.  This is a key educational sector.  The Exploration Systems and Technology increases are probably related to Trump’s self flattering goal of landing men on the moon in 2024, the last year of his supposed second term, instead of five years later, as originally planned.  Those increases were not completely funded.

About Dennis SILVERMAN

I am a retired Professor of Physics and Astronomy at U C Irvine. For two decades I have been active in learning about energy and the environment, and in reporting on those topics for a decade. For the last four years I have added science policy. Lately, I have been reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic of our times.
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