Trump’s mass firings could have ripple effects

A University of Washington researcher is wondering about a climate and health grant after a government site was taken offline. These are just some of the disruptions that resulted from President Donald Trump's sweeping changes to the federal government.

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Harvard University is imposing a temporary freeze on hiring faculty. Columbia University is grappling with cuts to $400 million in federal funding. California Institute of Technology is leaving postdoctoral positions unfilled. A University of Washington researcher is wondering about a climate and health grant after a government site was taken offline. These are just some of the disruptions that resulted from President Donald Trump's sweeping changes to the federal government. Though the private sector has historically provided more funding for research and development in the US, experts say, Trump's mass firings and freezing of billions of dollars appropriated by Congress could have ripple effects on the US scientific enterprise for years to come.

Many personnel and financial cuts are being made under the banner of streamlining government — an idea championed by billionaire Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency — while some funding cancellations and threats are tied to allegations of antisemitism on campus. Several of these moves have been challenged in court, and the implementation of some have been put on hold. But research has already been halted in some places and thrust others into limbo, according to interviews with more than 25 professors, graduate students, other academic researchers, and experts across the public, private and non-profit sectors.