13 Comments

The environmental damage that the Trump administration could cause is totally horrifying. You note that they propose to cut the budget of the NSF by over 50%. The mission of the NSF is to fund basic research . For this reason, the NSF budget is much smaller that that of agencies like the NIH that have a specific scientific mission like human health. Large cuts to the NSF budget will have a devastating impact scientific research in the US.

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It’s truly alarming. I haven’t spent much time yet on the cuts to basic research we can expect, but I will be looking into it. I am hearing alarm bells re NOAA as well.

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Oh my goodness…. I’m not American but really hoped that Project 2025 would not find a footing in the new government. Unfortunately things are looking so very scary. Please take care everyone. Sigh…

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Ugh, I know. I’d hoped the same.

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Thanks for your coverage, Rebecca. Keep up the good fight!

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Your report clearly demonstrates that if the Trump 2.0 forces are successful they will inflict catastrophic damage on our government's ability to protect us and our environment. What those forces want us to forget, what they want to hide, is the fact that we wanted the government to perform these functions, we ordained that the government function as our watchdog. It is the crystalization of our will. They like to tell us that the government is some kind of Frankenstein monster grown independent of and hostile to its creators, us. But that is not so. Step by step steered by democratic processes, overseen by democratically elected leadership, these agencies have grown with the blessings of the majority. Trump 2.0 is the first republican majoritarian administration we've seen in a long time so we have to admit they have legitimacy. But I'm afraid the people didn't read the fine print, the people in their wisdom were not too wise, buyer's remorse is on the way and people will realize that Republicans of the Trump 2.0 persuasion view regulatory agencies exactly the way criminals view police. Dark times are ahead for a while.

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That's so right, Michael. And wow, they did not read the fine print. We are locked into a bad contract for the foreseeable future and the buyer's remorse will set in, if it hasn't already. I love the way you phrased all this, although I wish you weren't so very correct.

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Thank you for this important work. Sorry it's so grim, both for you in the States and for the knock-on for the planet.

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This was really sobering and depressing to read. I wish this kind of information had been read by the public before the election but I know it wouldn't have really swayed so many.

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I know. I know. The thing that kills me is that all of this information and so much more has been available all along. So many people were trying to call attention to what a second Trump term would do ... plus people only had to pay attention to what occurred during the first Trump admin to see where he would take it this time around, with the added layer of Project 2025 to make the whole process more efficient.

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Thank you for these round ups Rebecca. And for shouldering the internal cost of focusing on the details of this nightmare and bringing them to light. Holding you up there with Heather Cox Richardson, both of you dedicated to uncovering what all this actually means to us. Yikes.

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Yikes indeed. Thank you for reading. I know it’s tough stuff.

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John, thanks. And same.

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