Maybe not. The reason? Chaos created by the new administration.
So here’s some of the timeline.
1. January 28: The OMB (Office of Management and Budget) requires every federal agency to pause:
- issuance of new awards;
- disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards; and
- other relevant agency actions that may be implicated by the executive orders, to the extent permissible by law.
OMB also requires all “Federal agencies to pause all activities associated with open NOFOs (Notice of Funding Opportunity), such as conducting merit review panels.” This order would likely impact much, if not all, discretionary funding that the Federal Government spends, including research funding. (Incidentally, the OMB does not have the legal authority to take these actions.)
2. January 29. Update #1: The Trump Administration releases a new memo to clarify the earlier one on pausing federal grant programs. (The Internet page showing this memo has been taken down, but you can still find it on a Punch Bowl news page. https://punchbowl.news/file_9917/)
This new memo states that, “any program not implicated by the President’s Executive Orders is not subject to the pause,” and then specifically lists the executive orders in the original memo that apply. The memo also makes the argument that this is not a freeze on all Federal financial assistance programs and that it is not impoundment.
In a desperate effort to clarify matters, NSF created an Executive Order Implementation webpage to ensure the widest dissemination of information and updates on the subject.
3. January 29. Update #2: The Trump Administration rescinds the original order for the funding freeze. Huh?
This is just of the tip of the chaos iceberg. And anyone who works in research knows that chaos is counterproductive. You can’t conduct an effective research program when you don’t know whether or when you’ll lose funding, your people will be fired, or your entire program discontinued.
So, you may ask, why not just look for private funding? Consider that the Constitution has enshrined the purpose of government: “To form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,” And what is the primary purpose of the private sector? To make money. Do you really think the private sector is the answer to an executive administration out of control?
Raul Torres, AG of the state of New Mexico, put it well when he recently talked about Elon Musk’s attack on government programs, many of which guarantee America’s leadership in technology and science. “It isn’t just unconstitutional,” Torres said. “It’s stupid.”