Attack on Science - Trump Administration Halts Science Grants, Loans, and Financial Assistance
Scientists Action Alert
Call your members of congress in both the House and Senate and let them know how your scientific work is being affected by the Trump administration’s order to pause all grants, loans, and federal assistance programs. You can find who your representatives are here by entering in your zip code. On your member’s website, you should see an option to “contact” them via phone. When you call your representative’s office, say your name, where you’re from, and that you’d like your representative to do everything in their power to stop the Trump administration’s order to pause all grants, loans, and federal assistance programs. Make a specific ask of your representative: “Will you do everything in your power to stop the Trump administration’s order to pause all grants, loans, and federal assistance programs?” You will likely speak with one of your representative’s staffers – this is normal. They will convey your information to your representative. If you’d like further guidance or support, please send us an email at: scilightsubstack@gmail.com
What Happened? The Trump Administration put a hold on all grants and contracts from the federal government last night. This affects a huge number of science activities and scientists across the country who are now unable to access research funds, travel funds, fellowship and scholarship funds, and so on. This funding hiatus seemingly affects all federal funding. It was announced internally by a memo from the Office of Management and Budget signed by acting Director Matthew J. Vaeth. The hold, effective January 28th, is supposedly temporary, but there is no indication of when funds will again be released. All agencies are to review and report to the Office of Management and Budget by February 10th a full list of financial assistance programs and awards with indications of how they support the President’s priorities.
Why This Matters: Scientists across the globe conduct research that benefits us all. If all that important research is halted, the public will suffer. The federal government is the largest funder of basic research in the US. They fund research that is vital to our society: cancer and other medical research, scientific research on environmental toxins that affect our health, climate change research, and so much more. The halt on funding could also affect early-career scientists’ careers and stifle growth in the scientific workforce.
The Details
In effect, funding for virtually all scientific work supported by the federal government is on an indefinite hold. That means if you are approaching a critical experiment, field season, observational or analytical effort, your funding is no longer secure. It certainly won’t be timely, regardless of whether you believe the funding was previously approved.
We have seen similar damaging holds on funding before associated with the periodic government shutdowns that occur when Congress doesn’t get its work done to fund the government. The longest such shutdown was during the last Trump administration and lasted 34 days. Students on travel were stranded. Fellowships delayed. International meetings and experiments cancelled. Field seasons lost.
The language in the memo justifying this action is so extreme, in my view, that it is worth quoting directly so you can see for yourself.
“Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities. Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy, ending “wokeness” and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.”
There are some things here that I would note. Firstly, career and political appointees have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the laws of the nation and the missions of their agencies as mandated by law and the Constitution, not whatever the President thinks. The second and third sentences are an ultra-rightwing expression of a set of political talking points, conspiracy theories, and nonsensical projections of what someone mistakenly thinks federal agencies do. Finally, in the first sentence, where it says, “the will of the American people,” it might be worth reiterating that the President was elected with less than 50% of the vote. That seems to be taken as an overwhelming “mandate”, but not by my calculation.
Apparently, the intention here is for all agencies to “scrub” their financial assistance programs of anything that the White House doesn’t agree with. But the money is appropriated by Congress and these financial assistance programs are based on Congressional action. The President may, and probably will, influence future appropriations. His administration has no authority to ignore the law for current spending (appropriations are statutory of course, even continuing resolutions). But that is exactly what this order is doing. It doesn’t order agencies to ensure that financial assistance programs comply with existing law. It doesn’t address fraud or abuse. The review is intended to enforce compliance with Executive Orders that are, in many cases, vague.
How can scientists respond? Your members of Congress in both the House and Senate and in both parties need to hear about how your scientific work is affected. They need to know that their districts and their constituents are directly impacted. And it must be said that goes for not just the scientists, but everyone will be affected by this action. Don’t let the impacts be invisible. We all are constituents of this government and each and every district. The funding is not the President’s or his minions. It is for the nation. Your voice is needed.
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