Scientists are speaking out in fear for the future of their fields as President Donald Trump's suspension of funds for the National Institutes of Health put everything in limbo, the Huffington Post reported Monday.
NIH announced over the weekend that "it is sharply reducing federal funding for overhead costs at universities, hospitals and institutes required to conduct research," reported Igor Bobic. "Known generally as 'indirect costs,' they include things like rent for space, utilities, internet access, payroll, equipment and other intangible benefits, like free research assistants. This differs from 'direct' costs of doing the research, such as salary and supplies."
These cuts jeopardize thousands of jobs around the country, the report warned — including many in states that backed Trump in the election.
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Nor is this the only move that threatens Republican-favoring areas; Trump's efforts to dismantle clean energy investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, for instance, are disproportionately threatening projects in areas that backed him.
“It feels like a dark time is ahead," one biomedical researcher told the Huffington Post. "We’re going to try to weather it, but we’re not optimistic that it’ll pass soon.“
Many others raged about the situation, with one University of Chicago researcher saying, “It seems spiteful and targeted at those of us who just want to contribute to a better society.”
A Rhode Island-based federal judge who earlier this month issued a restraining order against Trump's government-wide freeze on federal spending spoke out again this week, warning that Trump officials seemed to be outright ignoring his orders and several affected agencies appeared to still have their funds frozen.
