Of all the harm this administration has done to US science, today's proposed changes to the way federal grants are awarded and administered is the most damaging yet.
The text of the federal register document is impenetrably tedious by design, so here's an excellent summary of what it says.
This is bad. Bad for researchers. Bad for science. Bad for universities. Bad for professional associations.
For example:
1. Every award would be vetted by political appointees, who could overrule peer reviewers and deny the award if it doesn't advance the president's priorities. 1/🧵
This is North Korea level bullshit, and a total fucking disaster for science and for the United States alike.
It doesn't matter whether it fails to pass; this kind of thinking is already penetrating NIH, NSF, NASA, etc and causing severe harm.
NASEM, AAAS, AAUP, etc must condemn unequivocally.
Does anyone know someone who is knowledgeable about US deregulation of cancer-causing substances, and how this could lead to more cancer cases? It’s for a comic.