Scientists Sue NSF to Save Social Science Unit as Trump Reshapes U.S. Research Funding
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 9
Scientists Sue NSF to Save Social Science Unit as Trump Reshapes U.S. Research Funding
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 9
Summary
Researchers and advocacy groups sued the National Science Foundation in federal court in Massachusetts on Monday, seeking to stop what they call an erosion of U.S. social science funding.
The lawsuit asks the court to block any dismantling of NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, warning that hundreds of projects—from AI’s effects to child development—could be halted.
Two Massachusetts-based researchers joined three scientific groups in the case, which is backed by Democracy Forward, while NSF said the directorate has not been shut down and that it is aligning programs with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The suit lands amid broader Trump administration moves to cancel grants, shelve programs and cut staffing at science agencies, deepening uncertainty that has already pushed some prominent scientists to leave the United States.