HOBBLING U.S. INNOVATION Attacks on the U.S. Innovation Ecosystem Are an Attack on a Wellspring of American Prosperity
The Trump administration’s attacks on the country’s science and innovation ecosystem — its cuts to federally funded R&D; its war on higher education; and its aggression toward immigrants, including skilled immigrants — are dismantling America’s science and technology advantage—putting the country’s future prosperity at risk. This frontal assault on the key source of U.S. industry’s competitive advantage is not a recipe for American greatness; it is a recipe for long-term decline.
Fifty-six years ago, on July 20, 1969, the United States landed a man on the moon, culminating a decade-long race that showcased the ingenuity of America’s public sector, its universities, and its thriving private industry. The moon landing was a singular accomplishment in the history of humanity and a triumph of the U.S. innovation ecosystem. The United States’ unparalleled science and technology advantage, developed in large part through federally funded research and development (R&D); world-class colleges and universities; and its openness to the best and brightest from anywhere created not just the technologies that define the modern world but also many of the world’s most successful companies. Now, the Trump administration is dismantling America’s science and innovation lead. The impacts will be felt for decades.
America’s lead in innovation is the product of policies spanning decades, with support of policymakers from both political parties. Public funding for R&D helps generate billions of dollars’ worth of economic activity every year, driving private sector productivity and growth and generating prosperity for communities across the country. By one estimate, postwar federal R&D funding provided returns of 140 percent to 210 percent. American firms have commercialized countless technologies—the Internet, smartphones, GPS, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and breakthrough medicines—the creation of which was funded, in part, by federal investments in R&D, typically conducted by researchers at the nation’s world-class universities. And, according to the Small Business Administration, the smallest businesses receive a larger share of their R&D funds from the federal government than their midsize counterparts.
The Trump administration’s unprecedented war on higher education; its drastic cuts to federal R&D; and its aggression toward immigrants must be understood not as a series of unrelated policies but rather as a concerted assault on America’s unparalleled innovation system. To protect the country’s edge in science and innovation, it is imperative that all institutions that benefit from the development of new technologies, new ideas, and new products stand up for federally funded research and oppose attacks on this ecosystem.
