“Why Are We Funding This?”
By David Samuel Shiffman
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
This Article From Issue
July-August 2025
Volume 113, Number 4
Page 220
For the first time since the modern federal research system was established after World War II, scientific funding in the United States is facing harsh cuts. These cuts undermine the core of American public health, safety, and environmental protection, but so far they have provoked only limited backlash beyond the scientific community. One likely reason much of the public seems to be shrugging off this act of self-sabotage is that the cuts have been misrepresented as a fix for waste and fraud, playing off a false but remarkably durable criticism: “A lot of the research we’re funding sounds silly! Why are we funding it? Who cares about this stuff?”
QUICK TAKE
- Public funding of science in the United States has long been criticized for supporting studies that seem “silly” or irrelevant to the public good. Such critiques are especially intense now.
- Wide-ranging, curiosity-driven research has led to enormous theoretical and practical benefits over the decades, ranging from anti-obesity drugs to the internet.
- Scientists need to speak out on the value of government-supported basic research, so the public understands how much damage will result if we continue the current funding cuts.
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