Science funding cuts by Trump administration impact Merced County | Opinion

As the government shutdown continues, further cracks have begun to show in one of our nation’s most important enterprises: science. As a UC Merced lifer, attending both undergraduate and graduate school at the university over the course of a decade, I have keenly felt the benefits of federal science funding at our university, our city and in Merced County.

Many Merced residents may not feel the tangible impact federal science funding has in our region. But one of the most important and relevant areas is agricultural research and support, with 99.8% of National Resource Conservation Services employees being furloughed (after a quarter of the workforce has already left this year amid layoffs and job uncertainty). This service is vital for providing support and guidance to farmers across the nation on harvest timing, fertilizer application and many other management activities.

These furloughed employees include at least 10 specific experts for Merced County, not including other employees within the office and the other offices serving the Valley at large. Agricultural research has been hit as well, with 70% of the Agricultural Research Service staff facing furloughs, hampering the discovery of improved agricultural management and support. In addition, the Farm Service Agency is providing limited loans to farms during the shutdown compared to business as usual.

All of this is happening at a time when the proposed White House budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses both of these offices, is slated to cut $7 billion in funding, with hundreds of millions of dollars reducing research and farmer support directly. Further action by the administration in the form of tariffs place strain on our region as well.

China and the European Union are placing reciprocal tariffs on many agricultural products (a 25% tariff on almonds by the EU beginning in December certain in particular is likely to hit our region hard).

These are just some of the shutdown and proposed budget impacts on agriculture and the science that supports it in the Valley. Safety is also at risk with cuts to agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), both of which are slated to receive budget cuts of over 30% by the Trump administration.

These agencies are vital for understanding natural disaster events like hurricanes and earthquakes, at NOAA and USGS respectively, in addition to storm and weather pattern tracking that influence the weather information we check each morning supported by NOAA. Without proper NOAA funding, we not only lose research dollars that may fund labs at UC Merced, we also lose valuable insights for storms, which could lead to worsening flood response the next time an El Niño year occurs in California.

Outside of supporting agriculture, jobs, safety and science generally, science funding is vital economically as every dollar invested by the federal government leads to $8 in economic activity, according to the American Geophysical Union. Those dollars are especially important in Merced County, as UC Merced continues to act as an economic engine for our region.

Losing grants and resources from agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation not only hurt our region in the short-term, but the restoration of these funds are difficult, and rehiring positions is hard. This means long-term losses in science, even if funding levels are increased in the future.

Continued federal science funding in the upcoming year budget is vital to our region, as is passing a bill to end the shutdown immediately. Funding to support science is part of what makes our country great and what has led to growth in Merced in the past decades. Only by continuing this funding and displaying our support for these agencies can we continue the march of progress.

Zacharcy Malone is a PhD candidate at UC Merced researching soil and compost science. He also attended UC Merced for his undergraduate degree, during which time he worked for Yosemite National Park, where he became interested in science communication and research.