• FumpyAer [any, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      There must be millions of Americans who have jobs that are at least partially funded by the government, but aren’t directly working for the federal government. It may also apply to literally every employee of a state government that relies on federal grants. It’s highly, highly illegal to do what he’s doing. Not to mention the people who rely on the services those workers provide. Healthcare, case management, funding for food assistance, the way it’s worded, there is no industry that doesn’t touch.

      All currently ongoing medical and scientific studies will grind to a halt. Possibly subsidies to industries that have lobbied for those. It’s just a truly mind-bogglingly large change. 3 trillion dollars per year. Arts grants. Maybe federal student loan disbursements? Those would be exempt because they go to individuals, I guess?

      There are people whose full-time job is grant writing, which means applying for grants from the government for their non-profit organizations.

      The other problem is it’s very vague.

      • Lerios [hy/hym]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        harold-manic jesus fucking christ.

        it astounds me that the forces of capital are allowing him to do half the shit he’s pulled this week. he’s planting landmines under every inch of the US economy and they’re just fucking letting him?? i know party discipline doesn’t really exist in the US but i thought the bourgeoisie filled that void (both as private actors and through shit like the CIA)

      • not sure how it’s gonna go exactly, but there is some resiliency built into systems where the state / organization reliant on the federal grant is operating in good faith.

        while federal grants fund all sorts of activities actually provided by state governments, those state governments basically front the money for salary and materials based on the agreement, then yearly bill the feds via reporting and invoicing.

        so what this really is, in my analysis, is a signal to bad faith actors in state governments to come down hard on federally funded projects by insisting the bill won’t be paid in the future, so they need to furlough state workers on whatever federally funded projects they don’t want to happen.

        so you’ll have some states that will continue to do the work and then bill the feds and take them to court if they don’t pay, because the agreement to pay (the grant award) is a legal contract. and you’ll have some states that let some local politicians take a wrecking ball to the place and gut whatever capacity they feel like targeting.

        this move is basically trump giving the statehouse jackals some free shots to fuck with state government.

    • dat_math [they/them]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      who does this hurt?

      Most public scientific research institutions (and those carrying out or otherwise supporting the research at all levels)