One scientist texted his landlord to say February rent would be late. Another wasn’t able to pay her credit card bill. Yet another wondered how much longer he could afford his mortgage.
These were some of the effects of President Trump’s federal funding freeze on the postdoctoral researchers who rely on grants from the National Science Foundation. Though a judge blocked that suspension on Tuesday before it could take effect, and the administration rescinded the memo that ordered it on Wednesday, on Thursday the NSF’s online payment system was still down, throwing lives into uncertainty. An NSF email seen by STAT suggested salaries had been suspended to “ensure only eligible activities” are funded.
“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house,” said one biologist doing a postdoctoral fellowship in the southeast, who spoke on condition that neither his name nor his state of residence be used, out of fear of retaliation. He said he had enough in his bank account to last until March, but had no idea how long the pay stoppage might last.
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