Ellie Park, Multimedia Editor-in-Chief
Yale University received $899 million in federal grants and contracts to fund research and financial aid in fiscal year 2024. Ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election, The News spoke to higher education experts about how political changes could affect the federal funding Yale receives for research.
Experts agreed there was bipartisan support for research funding, and any cuts would likely result in significant budget cuts. But they said the results of the parliamentary and presidential elections could influence which areas are funded.
Yale receives federal research funding primarily from the National Institutes of Health, which has awarded Yale a total of $643,720,557 in grants and contracts so far this year. Other agencies funding Yale research include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and Department of Education.
“We rely heavily on revenue from a variety of federal sources,” said Yale Dean Pericles Lewis.
Additionally, Yale recently posted a job opening for a Washington, D.C.-based director of federal relations who will serve as “the face and ambassador of Yale in Washington,” advocating for “federal policies that advance Yale’s core mission.”
Despite controversy, support for university funding continues
In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, universities are at the center of national debates over diversity, equity and inclusion policies, campus protests and dramatic presidential showdowns in Congress. Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance Law ’13 has often criticized elite universities, calling them “the enemy.”
Ahead of the 2023 Republican presidential primary, former President Donald Trump announced his policy plan, Agenda 47. It proposes that “strictly apolitical” new institutions be “taxed, fined, and sued for excessively large private university endowments.” Awakening. ”
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, also detailed plans for President Trump’s second term in a 900-page policy document known as Project 2025. Although President Trump has distanced himself from the project, CNN reported that at least 140 former Trump administration officials were involved in the project. Project 2025.
“Project 2025 will have a major impact on schools like Yale,” wrote Royle Johnson, dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Project 2025 would direct research funding toward conservative priorities.
However, experts interviewed told the News that political debates over higher education are unlikely to have a material impact on funding levels for research universities.
The amount of funding available to research universities is determined by the total amount of discretionary funding appropriated by Congress in the federal budget. Stein said Democrats are generally open to increasing this spending, but “the revenue framework for what all of this will look like is going to be very much up in the air as Congress goes into negotiations.” said.
Tristan Stein, associate director for higher education at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told the News that regardless of partisan issues, lawmakers across the aisle understand the importance of research to the economy and the universities in their districts. he said. Federal funding for university research tends to have bipartisan support, and he believes universities are likely to see similar funding levels under either party’s leadership.
Ben Cecil, senior education policy advisor at Third Way, a center-left think tank, said federal funding is not usually a topic that persuades the average voter because the budgeting process is complex to explain, and political The House said it would not discuss it on the campaign trail. trail.
Data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics shows that in every White House administration from 1972 to 2022, federally funded research spending by universities increased steadily and slowly. I am.
Lewis told the News that Yale offers “a lot of value for the money” when it comes to research, and that the university makes extensive contributions to knowledge across disciplines. He said Yale and other elite universities play a major role in America’s economy and reputation.
“I hope that whoever is in office, whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat, recognizes that,” he said, adding that in addition to the economic benefits that STEM research brings, He emphasized that contributions to society should not be overlooked.
Congressional majorities and presidents influence research priorities
Stein said which research areas receive funding can change based on different policy priorities between the parties and trade-offs in the budget negotiation process.
“Depending on the outcome of this election, certain research areas may receive more funding or no funding at all,” he said. “But it’s a question of where research dollars are allocated, not which institutions receive how much money.”
Johnson said Project 2025’s policies will shift the priorities of agencies like NIH and NSF away from funding research on “critical social issues and inequalities” such as racial justice, climate change, and health disparities. , wrote that it would lead to a shift toward “projects more aligned with the conservative political interests of the far right.” ”
Morgan Scott Polikoff, an education professor at the University of Southern California, said the NIH “needs to develop and advance a research agenda that supports pro-life policies and examines both mental and physical harm.” I cited a section of Project 2025. Abortion has a negative impact on women and girls. ”
“Does that mean only pro-life research will be funded?” Polikoff questioned. “It’s not hard to imagine other kinds of ideological or ‘free speech’ litmus tests that ultimately result in federal research funding being directed to conservative institutions.”
Kenneth K. Wong, a professor of education policy at Brown University, agreed, writing that there are significant policy differences between the two leading presidential candidates that could impact the “federal research agenda.” Ta.
Wong said the Trump administration has limited research funding in DEI, international research collaboration, and reducing fossil fuel use, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration has focused on climate change, pandemic preparedness, K-12 education, and universities. and federal funding for educational research. Employee training.
However, the authority to make final decisions on the budget rests with Congress, which makes budget resolutions based on the president’s proposals and controls spending.
“The reality is that the majority in Congress and who is running each side on Capitol Hill has far more influence over the process, because they are the ones who make the final decisions during the budget process. ,” Cecil said. “A lot of the part that determines where the chips fall is who’s elected (to Congress) and who’s running these various committees.”
Robert Kelchen, dean of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, writes that for major changes in higher education funding to occur, there needs to be unified control from one political party in Washington.
If the House and Senate or the White House were controlled by different parties, there would be little movement, he wrote.
“Under both Republican and Democratic administrations, we’ve seen some improvement in funding, particularly where it’s deemed to be in the national interest, such as related to different types of science,” Lewis said.
The National Institutes of Health’s headquarters are located at 9000 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, Maryland.
Josie Reich
Georgie Reich covers the president’s office. She previously reported on admissions and financial aid. She is from Washington, DC and is a junior at Davenport University majoring in American Studies.
Carla Cortez
Carla Cortez works under the University Desk in student policy and affairs at Yale University. A native of Woodstock, Georgia, she is a sophomore at Silliman University majoring in political science.
