Trump is killing the goose that laid America's golden eggs

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

There’s no doubt that bloated government bureaucracies need pruning—like an overgrown forest choking off light and life beneath. Universities, too, have often lost their way, nurturing ideological extremes and tolerating open defiance of civil norms. Harvard and other elite institutions have enabled left-wing extremism, including support for Hamas and a disturbing rise in antisemitism. Free speech has suffered, and accountability has waned. These institutions must be held to U.S. laws and ethical standards.

But President Trump’s response—slashing research funding and targeting international students—isn’t pruning. It’s setting fire to the entire forest. And in the process, he’s threatening the very roots of America’s scientific leadership, economic prosperity, and global influence.

The global competitiveness of the United States has always depended on its universities—on their openness to talent and their commitment to research. From the microchip to the biotech revolution, many of the innovations that defined modern America were born in academic labs. They were powered by brilliant minds drawn from around the world and sustained by public funding. The internet (UCLA), Google’s search algorithm (Stanford), GPS (MIT), and mRNA vaccines (UPenn) all originated in U.S. universities. So did breakthroughs in clean energy, artificial intelligence, and cancer treatments—like CRISPR gene-editing and immunotherapies. Now, due to Trump’s actions, even life-saving cancer research is being halted midstream as federal grants are frozen and labs shut down.

Harvard University, long considered a beacon for international scholars, has had its authority to enroll foreign students revoked. Over $2.7 billion in federal research funding has been frozen. MIT has announced cuts to graduate admissions and layoffs of research staff. The University of California system is engaged in lawsuits to stop NIH grant reductions. All of this will significantly harm American scientific progress.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-killing-goose-laid-america-183807489.html

Trump is an idiot who replaced the golden egg with a giant turd.

[RockRaven]

1. Not Trump. Republicans.

Say it with me, you cowards in the media: Republicans.

Not Trump.
Not Elon.
Not DOGE.
Not Project 2025.
Republicans.

[Bluetus]

2. "All of this will significantly harm American scientific progress"

That's a gross understatement. The US has become an economy that shuns labor. We willingly sent much of the labor-intense work to Asia. That left us with a "service economy". But that is not sustainable with half the population mixing drinks for the other half, especially when so many of those consumers make their livings moving papers around, and not actually adding anything of value.

The only way we have been able to retain a somewhat affluent status as a nation is the fact that most of the technology innovation from 1900 through 1980 originated in the US. And even though the manufacturing of tech goods long ago moved offshore, we at least had advantages as the inventors of these technologies.

Wake up call: The US is not leading in tech innovation any more. We see this most clearly in the new energy space, where China is clearly leading by a wide margin in battery tech, and has a clear lead in EVs and solar panels. We are already on a declining course because Republicans have fought new energy every step of the way. We still have leads in pharmaceuticals, but Trump's actions will obliterate that, leaving us mostly with dead-weight paper pushers.

[Captain Zero]

3. As Europe makes plans and gathers $$

To recruit our best scientists.

Says it all.

[Bluetus]

5. A brain drain is highly possible

With all these research jobs going away, why wouldn't a top scientist think about moving to Sweden, Belgium, France, Germany, Australia -- or Canada, for that matter? They can have a secure , comfortable life, doing the work they trained to do, and leave this Limbaughstan behind.

Mark it down. By this time next year, "American Brain Drain" will be a major topic globally.

[Hekate]

9. Already happening as we speak. Let me put it this way: scientific research must go forward...

Certainly in the field of human health, but frankly in every other endeavor as well. There must be free exchange of ideas. Our government has taken up behaviors more appropriate to the old Soviet Union — and every other dictatorship on the planet today. In our name our government is terrorizing scientists and students, and if other countries are offering them lab space and salaries, by gods they should start packing. A brain drain can go both ways.

MAGA my rosy Irish ass. The M stands for Morons. Despite all our faults we were great, make no mistake about it. But folks we had our century, and we have blown it.

[Bluetus]

10. Undoubtedly recruiting goes on all the time

Even the companies with US HQ addresses have research labs all over the world. I imagine it will be extremely difficult to recruit the best talent to move to the US at this stage. There are lots of research operations in Canada, UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, China, Japan and many other places. If I were a young researcher, just finishing my PhD from Stanford or wherever, just starting a family, I would definitely be thinking about moving to one of those other countries.

The brain drain will start quietly, one researcher at a time. But by the end of 4 years of Trump, it could have so much momentum as to be irreversible for a generation or two.

The damage these Republicans are doing is immeasurable.

[Bluetus]

13. Coincidentally, I listened to a rerun of one of Michael Signoreli's shows from earlier this week

He had a guest on who was saying EXACTLY this -- that the recruiting has been accelerating in recent years, and the guest expected that Trump's first 120 days is causing many people in the field to take their options much more seriously.

You know who is more important than Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos? A researcher that can come up with therapies that save lives. What has Bezos done to improve the world? We already had all the goods that Amazon sells. So his company can deliver it in 2 days instead of 2 weeks. BFD. What has Jamie Dimon done to improve the state of humanity? That doesn't change anybody's life.

A therapy for breast cancer or Alzheimer's makes a real difference.

[Bluetus]

11. At this point, US companies strongly dominate pharma research

It is one of the remaining pillars of our economy. But this can change. Companies like Roche (Switzerland) have lot of labs located in the US, primarily because of the research investments at major universities. We graduate a lot of students with the skills needed to compete in the pharma business. With the REPUBLICANS gutting that investment, there will be fewer international students coming to the US to be part of that, so less of a case to maintain research labs here.

And of course, the American companies (Lilly, Merck, Abbvie, etc.) all maintain research labs in many other countries. One can imagine that thousands of the best, most experienced researchers will be giving serious thought to moving to other countries which will welcome them with open arms.

It is just another example of "Everything Trump touches, dies." Some deaths happen quickly. This one will happen over a decade or more. But the well has been poisoned now.

[hildegaard28]

4. That first paragraph

Isn't even remotely true.

[Eugene]

7. Fortune is a right-leaning magazine, and it's allegiance it to money. MF47 threatens that money.

Short of that, they are on board with him on fighting the war on woke.

[Demovictory9]

6. Yep

[Cha]

8. Mump is Purposely "Killing the goose that laid America's golden eggs"

Look at it through his Master Putin's eyes.

Attack from Withinn .. the Enemy of the State.

[Kid Berwyn]

12. Thanks, Putin.

When will Krasnov be held to account?