Trump administration has its sights set on destroying international research collaborations

In the latest chapter in the Trumpian destruction of US science, the White House Office of Management and Budget proposed troubling changes that affect how the federal government handles research grants, including those funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under these new rules, every federal research funding decision is subject to review by political appointees, who will be given the power to override decisions made on the basis of scientific merit.1 The traditional form of expert peer review would remain “advisory.”2 The new rules for federally funded international collaborations would deepen already apparent declines in American science.Ostensibly to bring transparency to the grant making process and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, the proposal is instead a grab for more political control over science. By codifying an executive order demanding Trump's brand of “gold standard science,” the new rules would also subject dissenting federal scientists to discipline or...