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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
National Science Foundation staff decry Trump's deep cuts
Almost 150 workers from the National Science Foundation (NSF) have lambasted Donald Trump's cuts to the agency as 'politically motivated and legally questionable', joining colleagues at three other federal research agencies in warning that the administration is destroying innovation and sacrificing the US's position as a global scientific leader. The three-page dissent states the actions of the administration 'collectively amount to the systemic dismantling of a world-renowned scientific agency' and that they have been compelled to act because 'NSF employees are bound by their oath to uphold the Constitution.' The document condemns the decision as 'illegally' withholding $2.2bn of the $9bn budget appropriated by Congress for 2025 and the 'unlawful termination and threatened mass reductions' in the workforce, which has already seen more than 10% of the agency's staff dismissed. They also point to the termination of more than 1,600 active NSF grants 'using undisclosed criteria devised by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)' – the quasi-government agency set up by Trump's billionaire donor Elon Musk. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported on the unprecedented political interference being wielded by Doge which, together with the chaotic cuts, has already undermined the gold standard review process used by the NSF to support cutting-edge science, and was jeopardizing the future of US industries and economic growth. 'A covert and ideologically driven secondary review process by unqualified political appointees is now interfering with the scientific merit-based review system,' the letter states. The NSF was created 75 years ago and until Trump took office for his second term had enjoyed bipartisan support. It is the only federal agency that funds fundamental research across all fields of science and engineering, and which over the years has contributed to major breakthroughs in organ transplants, gene technology, AI, smartphones, extreme weather warning systems, American sign language, cybersecurity and even the language app Duolingo. Trump's budget proposal calls for a 56% cut to the NSF budget for 2026, which if enacted 'would undermine US leadership in science, eliminate funding for over 250,000 researchers and students, and break bipartisan commitments made under the CHIPS and Science Act,' the letter states. The NSF statement follows similar unprecedented dissent by hundreds of scientists and other staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and most recently the Voyager Declaration from almost 300 current and former Nasa scientists including four astronauts. All have warned about the devastating impact of the administration's arbitrary and chaotic cuts to staff and research funds on the lives of Americans – now and in the future – in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy including Trump's billionaire donors. The NSF dissent is addressed to California member of Congress Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House science committee, who has repeatedly condemned Trump's assault on science. Only one employee, Jesus Soriano, president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees which represents two thirds of the NSF's unionized bargaining unit, included his name; 148 of the 149 signatories are anonymous due to fear of reprisals. The fear is well founded given that around 140 named signatories of the EPA 'declaration of dissent' were put on administrative leave, and Lee Zeldin, the climate change denier and EPA secretary, warned that there was a 'zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting' the current administration. It ends with a stark warning: 'NSF employees are committed to serving the American people through research, education, and innovation. But they cannot do so under fear, censorship, and institutional sabotage. Without immediate oversight and corrective action from Congress, one of our nation's greatest engines for scientific and technological advancement faces irreversible long-term damage. Put simply, America will forfeit its scientific leadership position to China and other rival nations.'
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Columbia University agrees to $332m settlement with Trump administration to restore US federal funding
Columbia University announced on Wednesday that it has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $US220 million ($332.5 million) to restore federal research money that was cancelled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $US200 million settlement to the government over three years, the university said. It will also pay $US21 million to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the Israel-Gaza war that began on October 7, 2023, the White House said. "This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty," acting university president Claire Shipman said. The school, in New York City, had been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support, including more than $US400 million in grants cancelled earlier this year. The administration pulled the funding because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Gaza war. Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university's student disciplinary process and applying a contentious, federally endorsed definition of antisemitism not only to teaching but to a disciplinary committee that has been investigating students critical of Israel. The agreement — which does not include an admission of wrongdoing — codifies those reforms while preserving the university's autonomy, Ms Shipman said. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the deal "a seismic shift in our nation's fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment." "Columbia's reforms are a road map for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit, and civil debate," Ms McMahon said in a statement. As part of the agreement, Columbia agreed to a series of changes previously announced in March, including reviewing its Middle East curriculum to make sure it was "comprehensive and balanced" and appointing new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. It also promised to end programs "that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets or similar efforts." The university will also have to issue a report to a monitor assuring that its programs "do not promote unlawful DEI goals." In a post on Wednesday night on his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump said Columbia had "committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus." He also warned, without being specific, "Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming." The pact comes after months of uncertainty and fraught negotiations at the 270-year-old university. It was among the first targets of Mr Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protests and on colleges that he asserts have allowed Jewish students to be threatened and harassed. Columbia's own antisemitism task force found last summer that Jewish students had faced verbal abuse, ostracism, and classroom humiliation during the spring 2024 demonstrations. Other Jewish students took part in the protests, however, and protest leaders maintain they are not targeting Jews, but rather criticising the Israeli government and its war in Gaza. Columbia's leadership — a revolving door of three interim presidents in the past year — has declared that the campus climate needs to change. Also in the settlement is an agreement to ask prospective international students "questions designed to elicit their reasons for wishing to study in the United States," and establishes processes to make sure all students are committed to "civil discourse." In a move that would potentially make it easier for the Trump administration to deport students who participate in protests, Columbia promised to provide the government with information — upon request — of disciplinary actions involving student-visa holders resulting in expulsions or suspensions. Columbia on Tuesday announced it would suspend, expel, or revoke degrees from more than 70 students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the main library in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. The pressure on Columbia began with a series of funding cuts. Then Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student who had been a visible figure in the protests, became the first person detained in the Trump administration's push to deport pro-Palestinian activists who are not US citizens. Next came searches of some university residences amid a federal Justice Department investigation into whether Columbia concealed "illegal aliens" on campus. The interim president at the time responded that the university was committed to upholding the law. Columbia was an early test case for the Trump administration as it sought closer oversight of universities that the Republican president views as bastions of liberalism. Yet, it was soon overshadowed by Harvard University, which became the first higher education institution to defy Trump's demands and fight back in court. The Trump administration has used federal research funding as its primary lever in its campaign to reshape higher education. More than $2 billion in total has also been frozen at Cornell, Northwestern, Brown, and Princeton universities. Administration officials pulled $175 million from the University of Pennsylvania in March over a dispute around women's sports. They restored it when school officials agreed to update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and change their policies. The administration is also looking beyond private universities. University of Virginia president James Ryan agreed to resign in June under pressure from a US Justice Department investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. A similar investigation was opened this month at George Mason University. AP
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Judge Casts Doubt on Legality of $2 Billion Harvard Fund Freeze
By and Greg Ryan Save A federal judge cast doubt on the legality of the Trump administration 's freezing of more than $2 billion in federal research funding for Harvard University. In a hearing in Boston Monday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs raised questions about the constitutionality of the government's decision to slash billions in funding and called their arguments 'mind boggling.' She pushed back on claims by Justice Department lawyers that the funding cuts were justified by Harvard's failure to tackle antisemitism on campus.
Bloomberg
18-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Cornell Warns of Job Losses, Austerity After Trump Funding Cuts
Cornell University warned of job cuts and 'financial austerity in all areas' as it steps up efforts to address budget shortfalls stemming from US funding cuts under President Donald Trump. Short-term measures are no longer enough to plug the gaps left by the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research contracts, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other school leaders wrote in a message Wednesday. The Ivy League university now needs to shrink its workforce and cut other costs to bring about 'permanent change to our operational model,' they said.
CBS News
09-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
U of M proposes tuition hikes across all campuses, 7% cut to academic programs
The University of Minnesota is proposing tuition hikes of up to 7.5% and cuts to academic programs for the next fiscal year as it navigates what it calls "unprecedented challenges facing higher education." Under the proposal, undergraduate tuition rates would increase at all of U of M campuses across the state; a 4% hike at the Crookston and Duluth campus and a 5% hike at Morris. The in-state tuition rate would go up 6.5% for students at the Rochester and Twin Cities campuses, while out-of-state tuition would rise by 7.5% in the Twin Cities. Some university employees will see a 3% increase based on merit, the university said in a release. At the same time, the university says there will be a 7% cut to academic departments. University leaders say the financial struggles stem from cuts to federal research funding. Funding from the state is also uncertain, the university said, with an anticipated 3.5% decrease when adjusted for inflation. The U is currently facing two federal lawsuits: one alleging discrimination against white students and another for failing to protect Jewish students. The Trump administration is threatening to cut more than $150 million a year from the university's National Institutes of Health medical research funding if the university does not cooperate. "The University of Minnesota is not immune to the unprecedented challenges facing higher education. We are making tough, strategic decisions to protect our mission and secure our future," said President Rebecca Cunningham. The board says it'll accept in-person comments during a public forum scheduled Thursday at 4:15 p.m. They're expected to act on the budget proposal on June 18.
