The Trump administration is finding new ways to withhold federal funding for science

NPR | By Katia Riddle

Published May 5, 2026 at 5:15 PM EDT

Billions in funding were cut under President Trump were restored in 2026. Now, watchdogs say the administration is finding other ways to withhold money – and scientists are feeling the consequences.

Katia Riddle

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over claims chatbot posed as doctor

Shannon Bond

State officials allege a Character.AI bot claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist and provided a fake state medical license number.
NPR News

Scott Turow's latest real-life legal thriller: Suing Meta for copyright infringement

Chloe Veltman

Five major publishing houses and the bestselling author are suing Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly training its Llama generative AI models on millions of copyrighted materials.
Recovering the dead in Gaza

Anas Baba
NPR News

Cruise ship with hantavirus may have seen a rare occurrence: humans infecting humans

Gabrielle Emanuel

Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with rodent feces, urine or saliva. But cases on the MV Hondius cruise ship point to an unusual means of transmission.
The Trump administration is investigating Smith College for admitting trans women

Nirvani Williams

Smith College is one of the largest women's colleges in the country. This week, the Trump administration announced it is investigating the school's practice of admitting trans women.