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A series of executive orders by US President Donald Trump freezing federal grants and loans has left the American scientific community in a state of uncertainty, and many research programs have been suspended.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the main sources of funding for basic research in the United States, have stopped considering grant applications, putting 80% of the NIH's $47 billion budget at risk. Universities and research institutions have already advised their employees to limit spending on equipment, research and scientific travel due to uncertainty over the allocation of funds.
Although District Judge Lauren Ali Khan temporarily blocked the execution of the orders, the lack of a clear list of programs subject to freezing has led to chaos in the financial management of academic institutions.
Lawyers point out that the president's orders may go beyond his authority, since control over spending is vested in Congress. However, even a temporary blocking of the orders does not eliminate the risks: universities are postponing meetings on new applications, and scientific foundations are advising researchers to refrain from using grant funds. As Harvard professor John Holdren emphasized,
