The National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trump administration pulled funding from a study last Friday on bat-human disease transmission that would help scientists understand the origin of coronaviruses, including COVID-19.
I’m confused. The Trump NIH pulled funding from an independent research project who would not rubber stamp his conspiracy theories? Is that the gist of this?
Do Trump and allies ever have anything proven?
If I understand this correctly, NIH has cut funding into the research of the origin of COVID-19 in the fear of them finding that there was a natural origin, rather than from a Chinese lab. This is a typical Repuke response to scientific research, they don’t like it when it conflicts with the reality in their perverted minds. Laurer’s time at NIH predates Trump so I have to assume the decision was not made by him but came from a higher level.
Can’t make China the enemy if the disease was not created by them. I am surprised he’s not claiming it’s biological warfare, although it’s only April.
The Trump administration would stop all funding of NASA if the Flat Earth Society was able to land a talking head on Fox News. Who needs NASA when all you have to do to launch from Earth is walk over to the edge and jump off.
No. It dEfunDed a Project thAt wont corroborate the FaCt thaT wuhAn escAped froM a researcH lab with thE aiD of a RoguE chinEse agenT to maKe Trump look baD and riG the election.
Buy property cLose tO the Edge and yoU haVe great vieWs of heaven.
I hope that when EcoHealth Alliance speaks with NIH about this, they will seek clarity around the stated rationale, “NIH does not believe that the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities.”
They need to ask: What ARE the program goals and agency priorities? And they need to press until they get an answer then share that answer widely.
Sounds like a good summary.
If you count proven wrong, all the time.
I think this is all related to Rudy’s tweet the other day.
Setting aside that he doesn’t remember who was president in 2017, Snopes fact checked this already when Newsmax brought it up in one of the Our Dumb President episodes.
The thing about science is the outcome isn’t the driver. You don’t start a research project to achieve a desired outcome. You start a scientific research project to answer a genuine question. When an exercise involves preordained outcomes we call the exercise ideology or religion. Neither have anything to do with science.
Yes. The agency conducting the research is funded by NIH as most research is. It was examining a zoonotoc origin of Corona 19 which was bat to cat and then cat to man. If the research panned out it would negate a deflection talking point popular with the political Right. That Trump didn’t flub the COVID threat in the USA ( he did ) it was all China’s fault. This research got in the way of that lie so it was shut down.
I think we should give this some hard looks. Trump is directing America’s agencies to not look for the truth so he can maintain a face saving lie. This will get people killed.
Politico reported on Monday that Michael Lauer, the deputy director for extramural research at the NIH, had told the study’s sponsors at EcoHealth Alliance via email that the agency would no longer fund the project, nor was the EcoHealth Alliance permitted to use what was left of the its 2020 grant.
Don’t know about the NIH, but my impression of federal grants is that its highly unusual for them to be rescinded mid-project, except in cases of fraud or illegal activity. I doubt either occurred in this situation, so this appears to be politicization of the worst kind.
Michael Lauer, the deputy director for extramural research at the NIH, had told the study’s sponsors at EcoHealth Alliance via email that the agency would no longer fund the project, nor was the EcoHealth Alliance permitted to use what was left of the its 2020 grant.
Ridiculous.
The group does excellent work. I’ve supported it myself for several decades.
From what I have just read EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit, seems to be a very together outfit not given to conspiracy theory. But trump pulling funding from an outfit interested in finding actual fact would be typical behavior for him. As I have said many times … trump favors lies even when the truth would be to his advantage. If a reporter were to ask about EcoHealth Alliance I expect trump’s instant response would be to smear them and then blame Obama for not knowing what the future would be 3 years hence and stopping this virus
