The Trump administration's recent freeze on federal grants and loans has left researchers concerned about the future of scientific funding in the US. While a federal judge temporarily blocked the order, universities are advising faculty against spending federal funds. Many scientists are confused due to a lack of clarity in subsequent communications. The atmosphere of uncertainty has led to organized efforts to rally against the freeze and calls to action through social media. Former officials express that the disruption could have lasting damage to the scientific community.
"If somehow they are allowed to get away with this, the disruption is almost incalculable," says John Holdren, the former science adviser to US president Barack Obama.
"It will be much easier to destroy the world's greatest scientific ecosystem than it will be to try to rebuild it," says Carole LaBonne, a developmental biologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
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