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Yep.
And all the kids are wandering around, knowing this week's food might be the last they have for awhile, hearing whispers in the hall, though the adults still all have tired smiles and assurances that it's all going to be okay.
Watching their coworkers cry in the hall as they realize the staff scientist position is probably no longer available that they had been basically promised once continuing resolution had passed...and worked their whole life at the NIH towards.
Low level, at best, anxiety and some sort of profound feelings of dejection and dismissal. It's amazing how jobs and lives matter unless it's federal jobs- people who give their lives for the betterment of Americans at large, taking a huge pay cut usually.
But that's just for now, hopefully. And only for some departments/institutes. Once it gets sorted out, all will be happy and well and hopeful as usual. So don't get down about it, potential postbacs haha. Science goes through these phases. Also, the NIH has ALWAYS had bipartisan support, and actually, Republican presidents usually fund it more. I think there will be a bloodbath if the NIH budget gets truly cut, and Big Pharma is lobbying against the cut as well. I anticipate this will all get brushed under the rug, for the NIH, at least.
DON'T WORRY EVERYONE. Haha.
Idk, while the NIH has had bipartisan support, all that support has done is prevent cuts but the budget hasnt really kept up with the demands for scientific funding, the growing expense of doing science, the glut of scientific trainees, the historically low funding rates for junior investigators, etc. But all of that is outside of the purview of this thread. I too doubt the cuts will be as deep as the WH proposal says. I do think cuts are coming though. If you are also cutting taxes, you have to find those extra 54 billion dollars for defense somehow.