
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday announced a plan to force universities that violate free-speech principles to forfeit billions of dollars in biomedical research and other scientific grants.
It is unclear, however, whether any universities might actually be impacted — and whether the requirements, unveiled in an executive order, represent a massive disruption for the country’s research infrastructure or a political statement that will leave scientific work untouched.
“Universities have to comply with the First Amendment,” said Kei Koizumi, who served as assistant director for federal research in former president Barack Obama’s science office, describing the Trump administration’s plan. “It’s like, yeah — duh.”