Just a quick update today since there’s not exactly a lot of news coming out of the U.S. federal government. Hang in there, everyone currently furloughed and stressed.
The first round of funding cuts has primarily affected states that voted against the President.
32,000 people at HHS alone have been furloughed. Layoffs could begin as early as this week.
As far as science funding goes- grant proposals can and should still be submitted, but they will not be reviewed until a deal is reached. New notices of award, renewals, and amendment approvals will not be issued. Institutions should be able to draw down funds on existing grants, however.
Thanks to some truly herculean efforts on the part of NIH staff, the agency appears to have spent all of its research dollars this year.
On Tuesday, the President signed an executive order aimed at fostering the use of AI tools for research and treatment of pediatric cancer. In response, HHS announced it will double the funding for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative.
Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91.
Today’s subtitle is a bit of nonsense from the terrific One Battle After Another. The image is from Unsplash.