The Trump administration can go ahead and purge more than 1,600 research grants issued by National Science Foundation (NSF) worth more than $1bn, after a judge declined to grant a preliminary injunction in a case brought by a coalition of organizations representing thousands of scientists.
The NSF is the premier federal investor in basic and cutting-edge science and engineering, which until Trump’s second term enjoyed bipartisan support, with the agency’s independent review process revered globally as the gold standard.
Shortly after the president’s inauguration, the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) led by the billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk was given free rein to overhaul the NSF to comply with what the administration said were its “changing priorities”.
Doge inflicted widespread and chaotic cuts to NSF staff, programs and research grants – particularly targeting grants that complied with congressional mandates to improve participation by women, people of color and people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).
The congressional push to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science and engineering was designed to nurture and attract untapped talent in marginalized communities, in order to boost American innovation, the economy and national defense.
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