Leopards, Faces, Etc
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Trump’s announcement to cap NIH (and I am sure NSF soon) overhead expenditures at 15% of grants is a shot in the face to higher education around the nation. Whatever you want to say about the state of higher education–and I assure you that there is plenty to criticize, the reality is that universities are surviving today in part because of their cuts of these grants. Trump and King Musk framed this as a shot at baddies like Harvard and Yale, but this absolutely destroys public schools and every state has those and they all are doing scientific research. The question is what if any backlash will this bring from red state politicians. At the very least, Katie Britt is making at least some claims that she will be looking out for Alabama schools from this.
Alabama’s junior U.S. senator said she will work with President Donald Trump’s health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to “ensure our nation remains at the forefront” of innovation, research and care after funding cuts announced Friday night by the National Institutes of Health.
“Every cent of hard-earned taxpayer money should be spent efficiently, judiciously, and accountably — without exception,” U.S. Sen. Katie Britt said on Saturday.
“While the administration works to achieve this goal at NIH, a smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama,” Britt told AL.com.
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The University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville are examples of the state institutions that could be affected by the cuts.
UAB alone has received more than a billion dollars in NIH funding in recent years, AL.com’s John Archibald reports. UAH also receives NIH funding, university spokesman Russell Nelson said Saturday but couldn’t say how much.
Steve Ammons, president of the Birmingham Business Alliance, said he was unsure of the specifics of the cuts, “but certainly any reduction in funding would be a hit to UAB since they were in the top 30 for 2024 for NIH funding. Certainly something we need to watch and make sure we advocate for the state’s largest employer.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin also said he was trying to assess the impact. He said the cuts would first hurt UAB’s ability to save lives, now and in the future, and potentially stifle technological growth that not only makes us healthier, but sustains the economy.
We will see if Britt actually does anything at all. Or any other red state senator. Of course they have the power to, but as Brian Schatz points out, they are all fascist cowards too scared to say or do anything to cross King Musk.