Government Shutdowns Disrupt Science
Science consistently suffers during government shutdowns. Funding pauses force government scientists to stay home without pay. Federal agencies halt new grant opportunities, suspend expert review panels, and stop gathering and analyzing essential public data related to the economy, environment, and public health.
Increased Stakes in 2025
The 2025 shutdown poses greater challenges than previous ones. It coincides with significant upheaval in American science and innovation triggered by President Donald Trump’s efforts to expand executive power and exert political control over scientific institutions.
Impact on Research and Universities
As the shutdown extends into its fifth week with no resolution, the administration’s fast and contentious policy changes are altering the long-established relationship between the U.S. government and research universities. Traditionally, the government provides funding and autonomy to these institutions in exchange for public benefits resulting from research.
“The Trump administration is not just reforming the US research system – it is trying to remake it.”
“With the shutdown entering its fifth week, and with no end in sight, the Trump administration’s rapid and contentious changes to federal research policy are rewriting the social contract between the U.S. government and research universities.”
Author’s Perspective
As a physicist and policy scholar who studies the history and governance of American science policy and benefits from federal grants, I have a personal and academic interest in the state of U.S. science funding.
Summary: The 2025 government shutdown severely disrupts scientific progress, worsened by political moves reshaping U.S. research funding and the government-university partnership.