Axios Event: DOGE cuts to have long-term effects on U.S. science efforts, lawmaker says

WASHINGTON – DOGE's efforts to slash the federal workforce and cut spending are spurring concerns about the impacts on federal agencies and universities focused on scientific research and development.

Why it matters: Layoffs and funding cuts for science-focused federal research and academic programs have been part of President Trump's first weeks in office, overseen by Elon Musk's DOGE.

• They come at a crucial time, as the U.S. aims to boost its STEM workforce and looks to outdo its global foes in science and technology.

Axios' Ashley Gold and Maria Curi spoke with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), and Yacine Jernite, Hugging Face head of machine learning and society, at the Feb. 25 event sponsored by Research!America.

What they're saying: "I'm very concerned about what's happening now with Mr. Musk and his gang of minions cutting sort of indiscriminately, I don't think they know what they're doing," Lofgren said.

• "They just laid off probably the most promising scientists in some of these agencies," Lofgren said.
• "There will be long-term adverse impacts on science because of what the so-called DOGE is doing right now."

The other side: "I know there's a lot of nervous people out there right now, and I don't blame them. But I'll tell you this president got elected to get rid of waste, fraud and abuse," Babin said.

• "I think it's incumbent upon the president to do his due diligence, and I think this is where the DOGE comes in under Mr. Musk and his team."

The global AI race is spurring massive investment in AI research as countries look to lead the way in developing the technology.

• "What we've seen is that AI progress is about the people who do the research," Jernite said.
• "We've had lots of great interactions with the folks at NIST [the National Institute of Standards and Technology], with the folks we are helping as much as we can with NAIRR [the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource], boosting up that research, something that we can't really do without considerations to efficiency, that should be a priority."

Sponsored content:

In a View From the Top sponsored segment, Sudip Parikh, the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said federal investment in science and technology is critical to spur private sector investment in the industries.

• "The United States government invests about $200 billion a year in science and technology," Parikh said. "The private sector, industry and philanthropy, invests almost $800 billion a year,"
• "But the $200 billion in basic research and other investments done by the federal government are critical, they actually enable all the rest of it. The more dollars we put in from the feds, the more investment comes in from industry, and we get job growth, we get economic success and we get national security out of it."