Amid the reign of executive orders and depressing news coming from the White House, overhearing the words “federal funding freeze” and “meet immediately” uttered within the Northeastern lab where I work was enough to confirm that the research realm as we knew it would never be the same again. No matter what profession within the field of science you are planning on pursuing — be it a doctor, researcher or professor — all professional livelihoods are at risk.
The announcement came without warning. On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump’s White House budget office froze all federal funds and loans to review government spending to ensure it aligned with executive orders. On the surface, this decision looked like an effort on Trump’s part to take on more accountability in ensuring that money is spent wisely, but don’t be fooled by his righteous facade.
Immediately after this executive order was released, chaos began trickling down from the big guns. It resulted in a catastrophic move estimated to slash $400 billion in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the largest financial supporter of biomedical and behavioral research in the world.
For those who aren’t yet fazed, let’s talk about the specific parties impacted.
Direct funding supports the bread and butter of a research project, including scientists, supplies, salaries and equipment. While Trump’s proposed policy doesn’t target direct funding that serves to support the core elements of a research project, this order targets the “indirect costs,” also known as facilities and administrative costs. Losing facilities and administrative funding endangers a wide array of invaluable resources utilized in the research space, whether it be infrastructure, administrative support, federal compliance for animal care or access to electronic databases and journals.
If you still believe that this policy exclusively impacts those currently working in the scientific community, think bigger. While large-scale research institutions and a fraction of academia have already felt the initial chill, there will be ensuing damage on the future generation of researchers. In an era that relies so heavily on scientific advancements, the last thing we need are individuals with immense potential second-guessing their future career paths due to fear of the unknown and massive cuts in their departments.
Within the realm of academia, undergraduates across the nation are being negatively impacted by this policy, even if they aren’t at the forefront of submitting grant proposals. If the shutdown continues through the federal fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, the consequences could be even greater as Northeastern research relies on federal agencies for a significant portion of funding — in 2019, around 80% of Northeastern’s research funding was sourced from federal government agencies.
With an increase in research faculty layoffs, we’re not just losing world-class scientists, but also missing out on potential lifelong mentors who play a key role in shaping a student’s career pathway.
During a stressful period working in the intensive care unit for my previous co-op at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, I relished the chats I’d have with my supervisor, who’d always ask how I was doing outside of the research space. Her advice was what ultimately led me to tailor my co-op experience to better fit my needs, which left me all the happier and affirmed my decision to pursue a career in medicine. I would have been very close to dropping the pre-med path if not for the one-on-one guidance and thorough instruction she gave me.
In short, the federal funding freeze significantly impacts undergraduate students in the field of science, not just by reducing research opportunities due to fewer labs nationwide, but also by leading to lower acceptance rates into graduate programs — potentially decreasing job prospects. With our livelihoods at stake, we have every reason to panic.
If you are a non-science major, you may be under the impression that the federal freeze has nothing to do with you. You would be wrong. As we advance into adulthood, we are increasingly susceptible to widespread diseases such as cancer, respiratory diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. How would it feel to reach that vulnerable point in our lives, only to find that the treatment we desperately need doesn’t exist simply because progress has been stalled? What we have been working toward and researching has now lost all its steam. With new treatment options taking around 12 years to reach the market, losing a few years could mean the difference between hope and heartbreak for countless lives.
Large-scale industries such as the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, which are directly impacted by the federal freeze, play a crucial role in biomedical research and have provided $32 billion in funding for 60,000 grants in basic, translational and clinical studies.
Among other reckless decisions, Trump proceeded to fire workers at the NIH’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, including lead researcher Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, who was expected to bring significant advancements within this niche field. This could jeopardize the quest for new Alzheimer’s treatments — something we cannot afford right now. Nearly 7 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and there is currently no cure.
Trump enforces this policy in an attempt to “end the egregious waste of federal funding” and ensure that money is being used wisely. Even so, this statement fails to acknowledge that money spent on research endeavors is paid back in abundance — driving groundbreaking advancements in knowledge and directly improving the lives of individuals on a global scale. Instead of cutting research funding, why doesn’t the president focus on reducing federal government waste in other, far less critical areas — say, the Department of the Interior spending $12 million on a 30-court pickleball complex or the $365,000 spent by the National Endowment for the Arts to promote circuses?
What sets Northeastern apart from other institutions is the robust co-op program. However, with research progress at a standstill, we may soon lose that too. As of 2019, 90% of Northeastern graduates who complete a co-op secure full-time employment within nine months of graduation — a number that continues to grow. This invaluable six-month experience gives undergraduates the opportunity to get their foot in the research door, which is something that isn’t simply handed to you on a silver platter.
With so much at stake, we cannot afford to waste time on a policy that serves as nothing more than a political stunt or power play.
Mikayla Tsai is a third-year behavioral neuroscience major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at [email protected]
