Inside Trump's Science Agenda: Anti-Science Claims, Fauci's Damage, DEI & China w/ Michael Kratsios
- Aug 24, 2026
- 55:59
- Full Episode
(0:00) Michael Kratsios joins the show! (01:56) Is this administration anti-science? The Nature poll, DEI grants, and $8B down the drain (8:16) Climate science cuts: RCP 8.5 gets pulled and the "climate emergency" narrative collapses (13:45) $47B at NIH, Eroom's Law, and golden tickets: has American science stagnated? (22:24) Big bold bets: Genesis Mission, quantum by 2028, fusion by 2035, boots on the moon in '28 (34:04) The great race with China: $33B to $670B, and 7 out of 10 STEM PhDs aren't American (44:09) Fauci did more damage to science than anyone in modern history, and NIH's median researcher is 71
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Brief Summary
Michael Katios discusses U.S. science policy, funding challenges, and competition with China in this episode.
Key points
- Is This Administration Anti-Science?. A discussion on whether the current administration is perceived as anti-science.
- Funding Allocation in Science. Discussing the allocation of science funding and its implications.
- Stagnation of Scientific Progress. Exploring the stagnation in scientific breakthroughs despite increased funding.
- Golden Tickets in Science Funding. The National Science Foundation is testing a new model where evaluators can award 'golden tickets' to incentivize innovative grant proposals.
- Funding Individuals vs. Ideas. A debate arises on whether to fund great individuals or their ideas, with examples from the venture capital world.
- The Genesis Mission. A flagship project aims to double the scientific output of the U.S. by applying AI to research challenges.
Episode highlights
- Is This Administration Anti-Science?A discussion on whether the current administration is perceived as anti-science.“It is not anti-science.”2:00Aug 24, 2026
- Funding Allocation in ScienceDiscussing the allocation of science funding and its implications.“Spending more money on the wrong types of things is not the right policy action.”6:39Aug 24, 2026
- Stagnation of Scientific ProgressExploring the stagnation in scientific breakthroughs despite increased funding.“I think generally our argument it has.”14:36Aug 24, 2026
- Golden Tickets in Science FundingThe National Science Foundation is testing a new model where evaluators can award 'golden tickets' to incentivize innovative grant proposals.“This creates an incentive for scientists to propose wild and crazy ideas.”18:32Aug 24, 2026
- Funding Individuals vs. IdeasA debate arises on whether to fund great individuals or their ideas, with examples from the venture capital world.“You find great people. Yes. You give them significant funding.”21:02Aug 24, 2026
- The Genesis MissionA flagship project aims to double the scientific output of the U.S. by applying AI to research challenges.“We want to apply AI to our hardest scientific challenges and endeavors.”24:19Aug 24, 2026
- The Scientific Race with ChinaChina's investment in science has surged, outpacing the US significantly.“China increased spending by 19x, while the US only increased by 3x.”34:08Aug 24, 2026
- The Importance of STEM EducationEncouraging more Americans to enter STEM fields is crucial for the future.“Having a STEM literate workforce is one of the most important superpowers.”39:25Aug 24, 2026
