The United States Faces an Assault on Science

The article describes how the early months of the second Trump administration brought sweeping actions that weakened the scientific enterprise in the U.S., from firing government scientists and cutting federal research grants to imposing political litmus tests on universities, medical agencies, and environmental regulators. Beyond funding cuts, the administration sought direct control over scientific agendas, targeting DEI programs, vaccine research, climate science, and long-standing academic norms. Agencies such as the NSF, NIH, EPA, NOAA, and NASA experienced significant rollbacks to their research programs, data collection efforts, and regulatory authority, prompting widespread concern about the potential long-term damage to U.S. scientific leadership. The article highlights growing consequences: universities losing major grants, young researchers leaving for Europe and Asia, and core scientific capabilities shifting abroad. While some investments, such as the administration’s AI plan, remain, the broader pattern has sparked fears that the U.S. is ceding ground to global competitors. Many in the scientific community worry that the country’s research capacity, once a major national advantage, is being undermined just as international rivals ramp up their own scientific and technological ambitions.