I also heard that there probably wasn't *direct* targeting of NIH study sections, the groups that evaluate billions of dollars in biomedical research grant applications -- it stems from the HHS-level ban on external communications. Terrible either way, of course. - ThreadSky

davelevitan.bsky.social • 62 days ago

I also heard that there probably wasn't *direct* targeting of NIH study sections, the groups that evaluate billions of dollars in biomedical research grant applications -- it stems from the HHS-level ban on external communications. Terrible either way, of course.

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claycopper.bsky.social•62 days ago

It's hostage-taking because they know Jr is gonna be one of the toughest confirmations.

desertmage65.bsky.social•62 days ago

Move fast and break science.

kimoco.bsky.social•62 days ago

This is what you get when you elect Republicans and billionaire tech bros. Oh, we did not elect the latter? Too bad, they are going to make a lot of decisions for us.

rdmorris.bsky.social•62 days ago

That's almost worse. It means this is about controlling information. If it walks like fascism and quacks like fascism....

kaplan.bio•62 days ago

Unclear to me that there’s really a big difference between wanting to stop NIH funding and accidentally doing it but not immediately rescinding the order

maudelebowski.bsky.social•62 days ago

to say nothing of the fearsome damage to NIH if he does get confirmed

davelevitan.bsky.social•62 days ago

Once again: If you are at NIH and want to talk/share anything, DM for Signal

davelevitan.bsky.social•62 days ago

Sorry, just to clarify, all NIH intramural spending is ~$10 billion, of which $5 billion is specific to "intramural research" but another $2.5B is for "research management and support." Anyway, it's a lot, and this sucks.

davelevitan.bsky.social•62 days ago

Here's a short piece with a bit more on the apparent purchasing freeze/hostage situation at NIH

scipie.bsky.social•61 days ago

“according to a source with knowledge of the move” - is this a source at the nih or in the trump admin? I’m unsure from such a vague description that seeds in such a big ask from Trump admin how they would have gotten that information.

longgoodbye.bsky.social•62 days ago

Thank you! As someone who works at an NIH-funded org I’m grateful for any crumbs of information I can get

neillewisjr.bsky.social•62 days ago

Appreciate the clear description here:

"...it will last until walking conspiracy theory Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is confirmed...if so, this is a hostage situation: confirm our deeply unqualified, manifestly dangerous anti-vax nutjob to run the place, or we will let your lab rats die."

henleyparker.bsky.social•57 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/henleyparker.bsky.social/post/3lgtr2w2ci222

zeebap2.bsky.social•61 days ago

My first thought.

tansuit.bsky.social•61 days ago

Mobster tactics

oponiak.bsky.social•61 days ago

Try replacing “lab rats” w/ “your research, which depends on patients who visited the NIH hospital during this time specifically to participate as human subjects.”

These include cancer patients who may have traveled great distances to participate in experimental treatment of their disease.

spacks.bsky.social•59 days ago

This is the most abysmal thing. I'd hate to be designing clinical research in this environment. As if it wasn't already a dice throw before. Now throw in administrative chaos.

fmrfosterkidatty.bsky.social•61 days ago

Trump is butthurt over COVID and is having a tantrum. Also states get a lot of funding from the NIH so he can blackmail them with that funding.

powerfromspace1.bsky.social•62 days ago

All sci peeps 🐥 ☝️

maritimetexas.bsky.social•62 days ago

About two hours now until the weekly NIG Table of Contents e-mails come out. Any guesses whether they actually will!

oponiak.bsky.social•61 days ago

MMWR didn’t come out on schedule.

maritimetexas.bsky.social•61 days ago

Yes. There are reports that this week’s report included three notices on bird flu.

maritimetexas.bsky.social•62 days ago

That’s like firing a gun into a crowd and saying later, “oh, I didn’t mean to hit THAT guy.” It is malignant incompetence, and they don’t get a pass for causing collateral damage because they didn’t bother to think it through.

backlitkeyboard.bsky.social•62 days ago

All contracts and purchases across the government have been put on hold for review and individual approval.

iconoclast88.bsky.social•62 days ago

Yes credit cards are frozen.

My sense of it was this wasn’t really thought out but they are seeing the chaos it’s causing as leverage to get RFK jr confirmed

maritimetexas.bsky.social•62 days ago

Say what you will about bureaucratic inefficiency and delay, but that actually exists to prevent (possibly) unintentional damage caused by careless implementation of policy.

iconoclast88.bsky.social•62 days ago

Delays in grant funding not only delay research, it impacts the livelihood of those researchers and institutions.

Canceling a conference wasted money spent on flights & hotels, and economically hurts hosting communities.

The cascading effects of this should be alarming to someone

donberr.bsky.social•62 days ago

It also means experiments and possibly careers ruined (both intramural and extramural). The real costs and the psychic costs are unreal. And of course the patients… I really don’t understand why people are not screaming from the rooftops.

travkitty.bsky.social•62 days ago

So, in other words, they are making decisions without thinking of all the consequences?

kabdib.bsky.social•62 days ago

no, they are quite aware of the consequences

they either don't care, or revel in them and want them

despicable

wishda.bsky.social•62 days ago

They want this research money in the private sector, where Trump can use it as a lever for power and to skim off the top.

gbdownes.bsky.social•62 days ago

Well, that and targeting DEI. I know of one Study Sections shut down mid meeting, the one that I serve on. I can’t see what that has to do with HHS external communications.

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