The war against ‘woke’ could end US science as we know it

A sneaky rule change has the potential to blow up scientific research in the United States. But there’s still time to fight it. On May 29th, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a 412-page proposal to revise federal financial assistance. The language is a combination of distinctly Trumpian attacks on “woke” policies and boring governmentese designed to make your eyes glaze over as quickly as possible. But under phrases like “providing further clarification on the regulatory status of the OMB requirements” is something darker — a threat to scientific research in this country, the livelihoods of thousands of scientists, and the lives of millions of vulnerable people. If this rule change goes forward, science in the US “will stop,” says Colette Delawalla, the founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science. “It won’t exist anymore.” But OMB must look at — and address — all substantive public comments, and the rule change remains open for comments until July 13th. Another route also has potential. If Congress submits an objection, it’s possible the rule change would not go forward. The rule change would require political oversight of more than $1 trillion of federal grants across 42 different agencies. Federal grants are what pay for most of the scientific research, and the researchers, at universities across the country, from research into new vaccines to studies on natural hazards. …