And not everyone is leaving. Many scientists are choosing to stay, searching for new sources of research funding or pivoting to jobs in industry.
But the erosion of reputation and the talent drain may not be over. The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $174 billion in federal grants since the president’s second term began, according to a tracking tool released by the States United Democracy Center and the organization Grant Witness. And a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget could give political appointees more control over what future projects are funded. A resolution approved by Congress has delayed a final decision on the rule until December.
Scientists who have moved away and those still in the U.S. are worried about what’s left behind. They say the next generation of scientists may struggle with fewer graduate programs, money and mentorship — and it could take a decade or longer for the U.S. scientific enterprise to truly feel those effects.
Major research institutions accepted 15% fewer applicants for fall 2026 doctoral programs compared to last year, according to admissions data collected by the Association of American Universities. One of the students impacted was a mentee of Smith’s.
“Real science” means whatever bullshit the few, “strong,” “superior” men at the top decide it means. Because that’s how they want facts and reality to be determined: through a forceful, rigid hierarchy of dominance. Research, experimentation, data collection and analysis? That’s for betas in lab coats. In America, might makes right. And being educated and informed isn’t just incongruous with their vision of hyper masculine dominance hierarchies, it’s completely antithetical to it. Intelligence and intellect are weakness, to be strong you MUST be ignorant.