Imagine a world where weather warnings are no longer reliable. That's a real possibility if funding cuts continue to hit the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has recently seen significant job losses. Hundreds of employees were let go, and more cuts are expected. These cuts could have a lastin...
Bird flu, or H5N1, is causing concern among health experts. They're worried about the lack of preparedness and the potential for it to become a human pandemic. This virus is highly contagious among birds and has been spreading to other animals, like dairy cows. Experts are on edge because there are gaps in surveillance and funding cuts that are hindering efforts to c...
In a surprising turn of events, a federal judge in Rhode Island has stepped in to prevent the Trump administration from halting billions of dollars in federal funding. This decision comes after a group of Democratic states filed a lawsuit against the administration's plan to pause federal spending. The judge, John McConnell, argued that the executive branch was overs...
California's Governor, Gavin Newsom, has thrown a massive request into the ring. He's asking Congress for nearly $40 billion to help the state recover from the devastating wildfires that tore through Southern California last month. The fires left a trail of destruction. At least 29 lives were lost, and over 16, 000 structures were reduced to rubble. Newsom's...
Senate Republicans recently pushed through a $340 billion budget plan early Friday morning, after a grueling all-night session. This move was met with strong opposition from Democrats, who tried to halt the process with numerous amendments. The vote was largely along party lines, with 52 Republicans voting in favor and 48 Democrats, along with one Republican, voting ...
Elon Musk has become a household name, but his success story isn't as straightforward as it seems. Musk's wealth is built on the back of taxpayer-funded research. Musk's companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have benefited greatly from government loans and tax credits. Musk has a history of criticizing federal funding for science, despite his own success being built on it. M...
The bird flu situation is escalating, with egg prices soaring and the virus showing signs of adapting to new species, including dairy cattle. The White House's recent moves to cut spending and restrict communications have left public health officials in the dark. State and local health departments have been left without regular updates from the Centers for Disease Co...
Money talks, and in the U. S. government, it's Congress that speaks the loudest. The Constitution spells it out in black and white. It's all about the money. Congress has the power to control federal spending. This is a basic rule of the game, written clearly in the Constitution. Presidents can only be elected for two terms and there are three branches of govern...
Recent moves by the Trump administration to slow down the electric car charging infrastructure might block the government from using funds. The plan was to direct states to stop EV charging infrastructure projects, using funds allocated under the former president Joe Biden. Trump has described this federal funding for electric vehicle chargers as a waste of taxpayer ...
Did you know that universities rely heavily on federal grants to keep their research labs running? These grants have two main parts. One part directly covers the costs of conducting research, like salaries, equipment, and supplies. The other part, called indirect costs, covers everything else – from lab maintenance to administrative tasks. These indirect costs can ma...