Budget

Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More
By slashing teams that gather critical data, the administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a black hole of information whose consequences could ripple out for decades.
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A Deadly Mosquito-Borne Illness Rises as the U.S. Cuts All Climate-Health Funding
Climate change is driving an explosion in dengue cases. Studying that connection is about to get much harder.
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“America Can’t Be Great Without Great Science. That Is Where the Academies Can Help.”
Recent actions by the federal government affecting agencies that fund science in the United States have sent shock waves through the research community. “My biggest concern is for the pipeline of talent: We might not have the educated students to meet the needs of the greater STEMM workforce…. I’m concerned that with the cuts in science budgets and the federal workforce, we will not see the same number of students being trained,” says the president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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“Wholesale Assault on U.S. Science”: Scientists Say Administration’s Policies Pose Serious Threats to U.S. Science
More than 1,900 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine signed an open letter warning Americans that the administration is engaging in a “wholesale assault on U.S. science” that could set back research by decades and that threatens the health and safety of Americans.
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Questions and Confusion as Trump Pauses Key Funding for Shrinking Colorado River
An executive order issued in the early days of the Trump administration hit pause on at least $4 billion set aside to protect the flow of the Colorado River. Halted funding threatens the sustainability of the entire system, experts say.
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U.S. Cuts to Science and Technology Could Fast-Track China’s Tech Dominance
Is the United States now trying to lose the technology race with China? It certainly seems to be. The race is tight, and now the Trump administration is slashing funding for the three national institutions that have underpinned science and technology (S&T) and what advantage the US still has.
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Trump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.
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How Progress Happens
On Feb. 7, the National Institutes of Health issued a notice, effective Feb. 10, to cap reimbursements for indirect costs (IDC) associated with its grants. The world’s largest public funder of biomedical research, the NIH supports investigations into, among other things, efforts to fight cancer, control infectious disease, understand neurodegenerative disorders, and improve mental health. Harvard’s vice provost for research details crucial role of NIH support in science and medicine.
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The Inside Story of How the Navy Spent Billions on the “Little Crappy Ship”
Littoral combat ships were supposed to launch the Navy into the future. Instead they broke down across the globe and many of their weapons never worked. Now the Navy is getting rid of them. One is less than five years old.
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This Debt Ceiling Showdown Is Especially Risky
On Thursday, 19 January 2022, the federal government hit its $31.4 trillion debt limit. That means that it can’t borrow any additional money to meet its obligations, which include everything from issuing Social Security checks to paying interest on Treasury bonds. Past fights over the borrowing limit didn’t spark a financial crisis. This time could be different, according to two experts.
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U.S. Debt Default Could Trigger Dollar’s Collapse – and Severely Erode America’s Political and Economic Might
Brinkmanship over the debt ceiling has become a regular ritual. As an economist, I know that defaulting on the national debt would have real-life consequences. Even the threat of pushing the U.S. into default has an economic impact. In August 2021, the mere prospect of a potential default led to an unprecedented downgrade of the nation’s credit rating, hurting America’s financial prestige as well as countless individuals, including retirees. And that was caused by the mere specter of default. An actual default would be far more damaging.
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Searching for Critical Minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey announced that, thanks to substantial funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it will invest about $2.8 million to collect a large swath of geophysical data focusing on critical mineral resources in northeastern Washington State.
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Federal Research Funding Has Positive “Ripple Effects”
Federal funding for biomedical research has a “ripple effect” of stimulating new studies even beyond the original purposes of a grant and may provide unexpected benefits.
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Germany's Military Budget: Unanswered Questions
Germany’s defense budget is not exactly small, and it has now been given a massive defense budget boost — but it is dogged by allegations of inefficiency. The parliamentary Bundeswehr commissioner’s report was not comforting.
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Administration Commits $3.46 Billion to Reduce Effects of Climate Change
Communities across the country have been impacted by the effects of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and other events. The increasing duration, intensity, and severity of such disasters—which are exacerbated by climate change as well as changes in population, land use, and weather patterns—are alarming and devastating. New funds made available by the government for hazard mitigation.
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