politics
With their assault on science, Trumpists aren’t just harming America – they’re harming themselves
The administration is subjugating science to political imperatives, a major blow to US soft power and technological progress
TL;DR
- The Trump administration is waging an unprecedented war on research and higher learning institutions.
- New rules propose subjecting federal grants to review by political appointees, not scientific experts.
- A strategy aims to shift science decision-making from universities to private corporations, potentially benefiting allies.
- The administration is pressuring universities to pledge allegiance and adopt specific viewpoints on issues like 'intellectual pluralism' and campus protest.
- International collaboration and visas for PhD students are being restricted, harming US soft power and research potential.
- The assault is fueled by rightwing hostility to higher education, nativism, Silicon Valley oligarchs, and a desire for revenge.
- While Congress has occasionally resisted funding cuts, a principled defense of the postwar scientific model is largely absent among Republicans.