By: Sakura Koner
Edited by: Madeleine Hamilton
I was born in an era when moving to the USA for higher research degrees like Master’s, PhD, etc. was booming — degrees that seemed too far-fetched for me. Little did I know about the power of research and its supreme leader: the United States of America. I observed as the international students toiled and worked hard to earn a spot in an American university, the prestige of an American degree, to walk and live and study where the greatest experimenters, scientists and educators of the world worked alongside them was a desire and dream for many. However, over the years, a sharp decline in the research produced from the USA coupled with the recent cuts to National Institute of Health (NIH) grants and healthcare research budget, the USA is quickly losing her renowned research status. I believe it came full circle, to watch the decline of the USA and to observe in real-time what politics can do to years of growth and prosperity.
The survey of 10,588 American adults conducted from Sept. 13th to 18th in 2022, finds that the public continues to hold scientists and medical scientists in high regard relative to other prominent groups and institutions. Overall, 28% of the population have confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public, while another 49% say they have some confidence. Ratings of medical scientists are similar for both groups, and public trust sentiments/judgements are about the same as they were in December 2021. So, why does the downfall of the USA’s scientific virtue seem so imminent? A new data-rich report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) confirms China has overtaken the United States as the world’s leader in several key scientific metrics, including the overall number of papers published and patents awarded. China’s growing scientific prowess is an example of a blow to the USA’s scientific reputation.
Ever since World War II, the US has been the global leader in science and technology—and benefited immensely from it with examples that include quantum dot, GPS, etc. Research fuels American innovation and the economy in turn, attracting scientists from across the world to study and collaborate in the USA. These international collaborations play a critical role in American soft power and diplomacy. However, under the current Trump administration and the view it has taken towards education and research, there has been a thorough reduction in the trust of the USA’s potential to produce research. The MIT Technology Review spoke to 10 federal workers from various departments and discussed how the USA’s scientific leadership is being dismantled as the Trump administration, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), cuts personnel, programs, agencies, grants and irrevocably denies entry to talent from across the world. For starters, the purging of tens of thousands—and perhaps soon hundreds of thousands—of federal workers is removing scientists and technologists from the government and paralyzing the ability of critical agencies to function. Multiple agencies, science and technology fellowship programs that were designed to bring in talented early-career staff with advanced STEM degrees have shuttered. Many other federal scientists were among the thousands who were terminated as probationary employees, a status they held because of the way scientific roles are often contractually structured.
Some agencies that were supporting or conducting their own research, including the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, are no longer functionally operational. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has effectively shuttered, eliminating a bastion of American expertise, influence, and credibility overnight.
There is growing fear that USA may have singlehandedly damaged its own ability to attract talent from abroad. Over the last 10 years, even as American universities have continued to lead the world, many universities in other countries have rapidly advanced. That includes those in Canada, where liberal immigration policies and lower tuition fees have driven a 200% increase in international student enrollment over the last decade, according to Anna Esaki-Smith, cofounder of a higher-education research consultancy called Education Rethink and author of Make College Your Superpower. Germany, among other European countries, has seen an influx of international students with an increase in English-taught programs. During the first Trump administration, many international students were already more reluctant to come to the USA because of the president’s hostile rhetoric. With the return and rapid escalation of that rhetoric, there are multiple instances at some universities that international students are declining their admissions offers.
Add to that the other recent developments—the potential dramatic cuts in federal research funding and the deletion of scores of rich public data sets on health and the environment will rapidly reduce the vast number of students that pursue such relevant research. Additionally, the clampdown on academic freedom for research that appears related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the fear that these restrictions could ultimately encompass other politically charged topics like climate change or vaccines could lead to the loss of many more international science and engineering students to other universities across the world.
I, too, came to Canada with the hope of pursuing research in some of the leading institutes of the world. I, too, made a conscious decision to avoid going to the USA. Even though this decision was made before the sanctions that are crippling research beyond recognition, the political climate, shift in ideologies and lack of safety for women, especially people of colour had already made the USA unattractive. As I meet more people from the USA or ones who once dreamed of pursuing higher education in the USA, it becomes more and more apparent how these sanctions will soon decimate the USA education system. And in the wake of that, several other research giants will rise to create better and more accessible science. What was once unimaginable, might soon become reality-the United States of America might be on the verge of scientific collapse!
References:
Image Source: rawpixel, https://www.rawpixel.com/image/3394030/free-photo-image-doctor-laboratory-lab-testing-kit
Kennedy, B. (2022) Americans value U.S. role as scientific leader, but 38% say country is losing ground globally, Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/10/25/americans-value-u-s-role-as-scientific-leader-but-38-say-country-is-losing-ground-globally/
Hao, K. (2025) The Foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled, MIT Technology Review. Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1112274/the-foundations-of-americas-prosperity-are-being-dismantled/
Lurye, S. and Gecker, J. (2025) Trump restricts federal research funding, a lifeblood for colleges, AP News. https://apnews.com/article/college-federal-funding-trump-a236cc302fa773e5ddd91661f61593a9#
Stone, W. and Huang, P. (2025) Health agencies lose staff members in key areas as Trump firings set in, NPR. Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/17/nx-s1-5300052/federal-employees-layoffs-cdc-nih-fda
Tollefson, J. (2025) ‘targeted and belittled’: Scientists at US Environmental Agency speak out as layoffs begin, Nature News. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00491-8
Aboulenein, A. (2025) Trump administration’s NIH layoffs total 1,165 people, internal email shows | reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-lays-off-fda-employees-stat-news-reports-2025-02-16/
Lambert, J. (2025) National Science Foundation fires roughly 10% of its workforce, NPR. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2025/02/18/nx-s1-5301049/national-science-foundation-fires-roughly-10-of-its-workforce
Tollefson, J. and Van Noorden, R. (2024) The US is the world’s science superpower – but for how long?, Nature News. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03403-4
Kozlov, M., Garisto, D. and Ledford, H. (2025) ‘devastating’ cuts to NIH grants by Trump’s team put on hold by US judge, Nature News. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00436-1
Stobbe, M. and Schneider, M. (2025) Trump administration’s data deletions set off ‘A mad scramble,’ researcher says, AP News. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/cdc-census-federal-data-trump-6a9ba7c01a42b72e2c0a119325ba3753