Because of the politics behind the funding behind the science:
And the details thereof:
The administration proposed a massive 55% reduction for NSF’s FY 2027 budget, cutting funding from $8.75 billion (FY 2026) to $3.96 billion. This includes sharp reductions to graduate fellowships and the elimination of the Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Sciences directorate.
…it’s perhaps unsurprising that alarm bells are beginning to ring in the USA. And even the anti-science demon in charge of tearing the US apart has noticed – but he can’t quite put his finger on why it’s happening:
So close.
I love the confused look on his face here. Like a baboon that is contemplating why it can’t get into a locked car at Cape Point.
There’s a great op-ed by Sally Kornbluth – President of MIT – which is well worth a read, but let me just share the final couple of paragraphs here:
Now, I don’t really mind if the US falls behind in its scientific research. But while everyone is bombing and hating everyone else on the widely-publicised political stage, there are a lot of international scientific collaborations that quietly continue – often despite the politics of the countries concerned – and work to advance healthcare, technology and our understanding of the world around us, and – through those things – to advance humankind.
Those collaborations are also now falling apart because of the lack of funding. And that’s hurting everyone.
We’re already seeing the effects of the USAID cuts in Africa, and now we’re watching a brain drain from the USA because of the same policies.
And it’s equal parts of hilarious and terrifying to watch them repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot.