Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland is under pressure from proposed federal budgets that pose a threat that reaches far beyond the Tri-Cities.  

PNNL said it needed to eliminate 90 positions. Staff recently were asked to volunteer for layoffs amid the budget uncertainty. When too few came forward, the Tri-Cities’ largest employer moved to involuntary layoffs, on top of earlier furloughs and terminations. With the fiscal 26 federal budget still in flux, more cuts could follow. 

Layoffs happen. Budgets shift. But what’s different now is the looming threat of entire research programs being eliminated, not just reduced. These programs support clean energy innovation, national security and cutting-edge science – the bedrock of the Tri-Cities’ economy. The risk isn’t just to jobs today, but to the nation’s ability to lead in science and technology. 

At a recent “Kill the Cuts” event co-hosted by Washington State University Tri-Cities and WSU Pullman that drew 200 people, researchers and students spoke about what’s at stake and about the importance of their research.  

Doug Ray, former associate laboratory director at PNNL, put it plainly, saying the proposed cuts would likely “reduce economic growth and lead to an exodus of scientists and engineers to other countries.”  

This is the real risk: Brain drain on a national scale.  

PNNL is more than a local employer. It is a national asset. Losing skilled scientists, engineers and technical staff, especially those with decades of expertise, isn’t just a local loss; it’s a national one. And when we trim the teams that support the researchers and share their work with the world, we weaken the very ecosystem that makes discovery possible. 

The challenge we face isn’t political, it’s strategic. If we allow scientific infrastructure to erode due to short-term budget decisions, we compromise our ability to lead in a world driven by technology and innovation. 

We urge decision-makers to consider the broader cost of these cuts. America’s future depends on the science we fund today.