50+ Scientific societies Signing the signaling letter opposing Trump’s executive order

Last month, the Trump administration published an executive decree affirming political control over the financing of grants, including all research supported by the federal government. In general, the executive decree inserts a layer of political control both on the announcement of new financing opportunities and the approval of individual subsidies. From now on, a coalition of more than 50 scientific and medical organizations withdraws, issues a letter to the US Congress expressing serious concerns concerning order and urging the congress to protect the integrity of what has long been an independent system and based on merit and in relation to the peers for the granting of federal subsidies.

As we mentioned above, the order requires that any announcement of financing possibilities be examined by the head of the agency or someone he designates, which means that a policy has the ultimate sage in which areas of science the United States finance. Individual subsidies will also require the authorization of a person appointed policy and “, if necessary, clearly advance the president’s political priorities”.

The order also orders agencies to formalize the possibility of canceling the subsidies previously allocated at any time if they are considered as “priorities of the agency to be expected”. Until a system is in place to enforce the new rules, agencies are prohibited from starting new financing programs.

In short, the new rules would mean that all research in federal sciences should be approved by a policy named policy that may have no expertise in the relevant fields, and research can be canceled at any time if political winds change. It would mark the end of a system that has allowed American scientific leaders for about 70 years.