The Trump administration, led by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, has proposed sweeping cuts to spending on science research here in the US, in particular at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. I explain a little about what is being cut and why these funds are important to scientific progress. I try, for what it's worth, to provide these explanations in a way that would be informative to those who generally favor cutting government waste in dramatic fashion.Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/02/12/bonus-cuts-to-science-funding-and-why-they-matter/Support Mindscape on Patreon.Indirect costs primerCuts to NIH indirect costsAppropriated funds are mandated by statuteProposed NSF cutsElon Musk doesn't understand indirect costsShrimp treadmill storyBribing foreign officialsDeleting NSA web pagesExecutive Orders are not lawsHistory of impoundmentsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.