Every time I open LinkedIn, someone from a science agency shares an unplanned (forced) early retirement or RIF. Lately it’s NASA & EPA. In spring, NOAA. I think people have no idea how deep this loss really is. I don’t know what rebuilding federal science looks like, but it won’t be simple or quick.
And you won't be able to rebuild it without reworking some of the systemic structural flaws that allowed for its being chainsawed to the ground. One of the core flaws is a lack of an engaged, informed, empathetic, curious, non-ignorance-loving population.
That second line nails it, for pretty much all the problems. But then that's caused by a disfunctional power structure and/or a massively irresponsible elite that's failed to see the value in maintaining a decent standard of living for the entire country
There really is no root cause, so to speak, because everything is interconnected. You can peel away layer after layer and find deeply systemic problems. While there is no perfect solution. The best starting point is probably the relationships on how we do with ourselves, each other, and the planet.
Worth the watch. youtu.be/aJMpU45aYaQ
Everyone with a four year degree from a selective university is part of this story (and those universities are the core of the story). Letting things slide without initiating civic dialogue on campuses is a disaster, and produces: drilled.media/news/network...
Bright people work for rich people, and rich people want to get richer. That's pretty much the formula that got us here, with added lunacy from tech bros. Also, not wanting to disappoint one's parents, because a top school is only meant to be a ticket to a $1M/yr job. www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/b...
Exactly. What we value is what we manifest in when our systems are designed on maximizing extraction and reductionism, we manifest a cycle of destruction and depletion old by our myopia. If, however, we focus on regeneration, interconnection & diversity not monocultures we may be able to reverse.
A $1M/yr job for about five years, after which the wheels fall off entirely. Cognitive dissonance and self deception are part of the story. www.linkedin.com/posts/robert...
The next normal administration should tell everyone to just report to work as they would have in October of of 2024 on a certain date if they want their old jobs back - and then sort it out from there.
Interesting 🤔
You're still assuming there will be free elections and a roll back? Wow.
Unfortunately, most people can’t wait around like that. And why would they do it if the next administration after that may be just as bad or worse?
Yeah I hear that. Can’t think of a better way to rapidly rebuild what was lost. Many will have moved on but others may have more flexibility. Even temp / part time remote work or volunteering where possible would be helpful to facilitate rebuilding as fast as possible.
EPA's ORD destruction is a prime example. And core knowledge from teams like CMAQ dev are moving decades of expertise to air quality science overseas.
This will impoverish us for decades- the loss of scientific talent and the loss of the next generation of scientists who won’t have opportunities here.
it will take probably two generations; one to get rid of this govt and rework it, another to rebuild the educational/university/research backbone of this country there are likely few alive now who will live to see this rebuild which makes me so angry
I'd say that that's wishful, though. Until 1940s nobody could match German science and it never recovered. Either the restoration is done really quickly or it will be in another country or set of countries.
yup, best case if that happens…hard to say. and some of it may depend on if we stay one country or not but we will probably never see what exactly happens
Factoring climate change tipping points and how fast that’s going, will there be anything left to rebuild 2 generations from now? Trapped in my safe room one hour from the Canadian border because of endless pm2.5. Can’t rebuild w/o clean air and soon to come year round fire.
yep, that’s another factor. will we have time to rebuild or will things destabilize so much that it’s a free fall anyway? certainly this monstrous regime’s energy policies won’t help
It is always easier to break and destroy than it is to fix and build.
Yep.
In Germany we had a very similar time, when Hitler and his Nazis destroyed German science largely, we never fully recovered and it took decades to recover at least partly
And we've had to rebuild here in the US after 1865 + after the Great Depression. A dark factor looms in my thoughts: US econ growth--including expansion of access to wealth + capital & of rights for workers, & dollar + mfg greatness--usually accompanies world war and depression: c. 1900, c. 1940
I agree 100%! The repercussions will be felt for decades. There are serious questions whether the U.S. will ever regain its preeminence in many of the sciences or whether we’ve essentially passed the baton to China - for the remainder of this century at least.😞
This was a significant factor in why I left. I had just been given the authority to staff up the office fully, and hired 4 people in 2024. Some have hung on, but we lost 5 in 2025. Would I have the conviction to sell people on federal service after this year? I can't honestly say I could do that.
Rebuilding that fed science corps probably can be done, even if it takes decades (as it likely would). Part of the issue is that worker protections were apparently ephemeral, even for those in unions. No-one, esp senior-level, would want to help rebuild if they’d be back on the market in 2-3 years.
what science we had is now gone ... probably two generations from recovery or at least an equilibrium the dullards and the Luddites have taken control
As an “old timer” in a federal agency, the immediate loss is the lack of opportunities for these VERA/VSIP employees to share their institutional knowledge with forecasters to help in the near term. Some of that knowledge is lost forever…
All ☝️ MAGA is a anti science cult Revenge of the Nerds in reverse
It’s infuriating.
bsky.app/profile/jebo...
It'll take a generation to recover from the damage caused by Trump and his goons.😢
People just do not understand that science is not something you can turn back on again. It's people, and once those people are gone it can take decades to rebuild that capability. DECADES.
No doubt. The loss of institutional knowledge, the reduction in workforce, denigration of our work, ignorance on its importance, cuts to funding to universities... It affects people as much as the science. the scientists, students, their families, and everybody the services reach.
I don't like writing something that might look like a conspiracy theory. Yet, a malicious agent, internal or external, could not devise a better plan to undermine US security and its role in the World.
It's almost like we are witnessing the work of the "sophons" sent by the Trisolaran. Except they look more like "dumbons" to be honest.
Your optimism on it being rebuilt is cute. Fascist take over unless we fight fight fight hard against them.
I think once that advantage is given up, as it has been, it’s going to be difficult if not impossible to rebuild, unless competitors also decide to engage in self-immolation.
Since they also fired the new employees too the remaining experienced workers will burn out and quit in the next few years. Just in time for the 2030s when Medicare and SS trust funds run out of money and climate change really bites hard
Don't think the politicians work for the people as much as they work for the corporations now. UK & US
Actually, I think some of these research efforts are being destroyed regardless of what corporations want. I can't imagine drug firms want to wipe out biomedical research in universities and government.
I was thinking more the fossil fuel guys ; keep eyes open... Tragic for the research people (&obvs planet)
Law of opposites/inverse proportion: Your external/outward climatology, has its opposite range. Seek out subterranean colleagues. Moving #BackIntoCaves has its merits/momentum. GIS tech, aquifer and torrential runoff science, etc.; will be the new norm for #sustainability. At scale become antiMusk.
I doubt it ever will be rebuilt: The very idea of government doing science in the public interest has been so demonized that it’s hard to imagine recovering it. Whatever we can’t save now will be gone for good; the best-case scenario is that the rest of the world picks up some of the slack.
work of generations. and i don't trust the dems to follow through on doing anything that requires more than a one time vote 💔
The nation is destroying intellectual capital. But having been through downsizings of companies that did similar things, I can say the sad thing is that it will just be 'normal' and nobody will really notice. ie - things will be worse but nobody will have a concrete benchmark to compare to
I think about this with Reagan all the time. I was born in 1978 so I don’t have a reference to the better days before people talk about.
From my POV in journalism, I can tell you that it would take years. If all of a sudden time reversed and everything were as stable as it was 30 years ago, you’re not going to get people back from the other fields to which they fled.
Also it’s hard for those who still need to work to find jobs. My PhD Environmental Science spouse was laid off from NASA and has been searching for months. Not even an interview. She’s excited about a job she applied to. I pray she gets it, but the competition includes 200 other PhD’s! It’s grim.
And that doesn't even touch those still there but furiously applying for outside jobs. My recent hiring has been flooded by incredibly talented feds, many still employed, and colleagues in my area have said the same. I feel lucky to see so many amazing scientists, but what a loss to public service.
I finally saw a job I'm interested in but feel so conflicted leaving the agency. Could still be a RIF coming but leaving early feels like giving up.
😢
I doubt you're alone in that. We've had many of those same conversations. It's a tough situation
First we must rebuild the Executive, the Presidency. Virginia elections are upcoming...starting at State level!
I get to track down and punch everyone who told me Project 2025 didn’t matter because Trump disavowed it, right
It will take the #USA decades to recover; there will be a period of years where the negative effects of #science infrastructure destruction slowly emerge, issue by issue. Across almost the entire range of intellectual endeavours and research, the #EU and #China have a solid future. The USA doesn't.
It will also be *expensive* as hell. The one reason many of my friends and former students work/worked for the feds was job security...which is now gone. Why would top people continue to work for these agencies if that is gone too? We'll have to pay more to hire/train/retain people in the future.
Same here and feel terrible for them. But on the other hand, the opportunity for the next Dem President to rebuild the government better and more mindfully will be incredible. Perhaps in the very long run this destruction will turn out to be creative (not Trump’s intention, obviously).
“RIF” is such a nice whitewash word to replace “laid off indefinitely” or “fired & perp-walked out the door.”
Trump doing Putin’s work: destroying the US as a global leader
I fear this is where we are going 👇🏻
You are so spot on Trump is a death knell for America, and we have 1 shot , and that will be the midterms We need to control both houses I’m looking forward to reading that article It’s so all depressing
Science should fight against Stupid! We don't want Civil War 2.0 but it's comming!
