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Science Put On Pause Under The Government Shutdown

A campground closure notice due to the 2018 U.S. government shutdown at Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Credit: NPCA Photos/flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

The partial shutdown of the U.S. government is approaching its third week, and it has caused a backlog for scientists employed or funded by the government. Scientists have had to leave data collection and experiments in limbo. The Food and Drug Administration has had to suspend domestic food inspections of vegetables, seafood, and other foods that are at high risk for contamination.

Journalist Lauren Morello, Americas bureau chief for Nature, puts the current shutdown in context to previous government stoppages. Morello also tells us how agencies and scientists are coping during this time and what we might see if the shutdown continues. And Science Friday producer Katie Feather reports back from the American Astronomical Society conference about how the shutdown has affected the meeting and the work of scientists.

Further Reading

• Read Lauren Morello’s original reporting on scientists and research impacted as the U.S. government shutdown drags on in Nature. 
• Axios reports how the shutdown is hitting science with stalled research and missed conferences.
• Learn how the government shutdown is slowing down FDA food inspections in the New York Times.

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/science-put-on-pause-under-the-government-shutdown/