Between NIH grant-making being slowed down and this, there is no way to interpret these moves than being an underhanded way of causing university research infrastructure to collapse. Consider also, for example, that one Friday last month there was an announcement that indirect rates being cut to 15% for Dept. of Energy grants.. but only for universities, not companies or national labs!

Just from a steady state picture there is now significantly less funding flowing to America's research institutions and institutes. At some point buildings will be shut down, infrastructure mothballed and a generation of scientists will simply not be trained.

An adversary could not ask for a better outcome.

> ...screen grant proposals for “topics or activities that may not be in alignment with agency priorities”

The only priorities the Trump administration has is in enforcing their myopic right-wing worldview and continuing their Manchurian Candidate destruction of our future by crippling science and education, and alienating the best and brightest people from around the world to make sure they don't come here to live and work, or leave as soon as possible.

We're going to be paying the price for this administration's actions for decades, if not for the rest of our country's existence.

(If you think this is too political for HN, or an over-reaction, remember that's what you said before the election as well. We weren't wrong then, and we're not wrong now.)

the "updates on priorities" page on NSF's web site is deeply dystopian: https://www.nsf.gov/updates-on-priorities