US science funding cuts slow innovation, Nobel laureates say

Nobel laureate David MacMillan stated that US science funding cuts have significantly slowed innovation, comparing it to applying the brakes to a productive scientific system. A new analysis indicates US federal funding for basic research could drop by over a third, from $45 billion to $30 billion in 2026, with broader science funding potentially decreasing by 22%. MacMillan, a Nobel Prize winner, experienced an eight-month funding gap, and James Robinson attributed cuts to a libertarian ideology that undervalues government's role in science.