More than 1,900 American scientists signed an open letter accusing the Donald Trump administration of destroying science in the country, potentially causing the United States to lose its leadership in scientific research to competitors.
The open letter addressed to the Trump administration threatens to cut and suspend funding for universities that fail to punish activists who oppose the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The letter read: “The US government, over more than 80 years of thoughtful investment, has built science industries that are the envy of the world. But the Trump administration is destabilizing these industries by cutting research funding, firing thousands of scientists, blocking public access to data, and forcing scientists to modify or halt their research for ideological reasons. We are sending a distress signal to issue a clear warning: science in this country is being annihilated.”
Scientists specifically accuse the Trump administration of cutting funding for federal agencies that regulate scientific activity, canceling grants for scientists, withdrawing funding for laboratories, and obstructing international collaboration. As a result, research has been suspended, including in new disease treatment methods, faculty positions have been reduced, and new graduate students have been denied admission.
The letter refers to Trump's threats to cut funding to universities if they do not punish activists who oppose the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the scholars, this has created a "climate of fear" in the scientific research community, with many refraining from criticizing White House policies for fear of funding cuts.
It read: "We will lose our leadership in science if our scientific field is eliminated. We therefore call on the administration to end its direct assault on American science, and we call on the public to join us."
The letter, signed by members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, emphasizes that scientists express their personal opinions, not the position of their institutions.