Where do things stand in Congress?
The United States House of Representatives and Senate are advancing fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget appropriations bills that propose a 3.6 percent reduction in federal funding for basic research compared to FY2025 levels. Although this represents a decrease in funding, the cut is considerably less severe than the reductions initially proposed by the Trump administration. These bills must be passed by January 30 to prevent another federal government shutdown, which would have direct implications for research activities and funding continuity at institutions like UW–Madison.
What is at risk?
Throughout the past year, actions and communications from the Trump administration have introduced several challenges and concerns for higher education leaders nationwide, including those at UW–Madison. These issues have prompted important discussions around international student enrollment, the stability of research funding, and the administrative framework necessary to support research endeavors on campus. We’ve detailed some of these discussions in these stories:
How are the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) and UW–Madison responding?
WAA worked with UW–Madison leaders to respond to these threats with public outreach and the mobilization of alumni advocates like you. This included direct advocacy in Washington, DC, and ongoing communication between alumni and their members of Congress. In addition to alumni support, Wisconsin business leaders joined colleagues across the nation in a letter to Congress, underscoring the value of research funding to U.S. economic strength and global competitiveness.
Campus leaders, along with higher education institutions across the nation, are keeping the public updated on the ongoing changes to federal policies — including legal challenges to those policies. A coalition of higher education institutions also advanced new ideas to increase transparency and improve accountability of federal research grants, addressing many of the concerns from funding critics in the Trump administration and Congress.
What is planned in 2026?
Advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s vital that we continue to communicate the impact that research funding has on campus and on our community as well as the true cost of cuts to that lifesaving research.
WAA continues to work closely with campus leaders, alumni advocates like you, and other partners to advocate on behalf of UW–Madison. Continued engagement with policymakers will be essential to safeguarding research investments against future uncertainties. You can be part of that effort by joining the UW Advocacy Coalition today and joining us at UW–Madison Day in Washington, DC or UW–Madison Day at the State Capitol.
