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The NSF provides funding for scientific and engineering research proposals as well as a comprehensive proposal review process fueled by volunteer time mainly from U.S.A. university professors (the universities pay us for our time, but we are serving the profession rather than the university).

I am to serve on a panel beginning on Tuesday. A panel reviews the proposals submitted for certain funding calls as well as the ad hoc reviews from other scientists to make funding recommendations to the program that solicited proposals. It is part of a three step process which ensures thorough, transparent, and expert opinion on proposals before spending taxpayer money on them.

It is a rigorous process.

I received these messages by text this morning from a friend working in another division (one not holding the panel on which I am serving).

Ultimately, I texted the program officer (PO) running this panel, and they hadn't heard anything.

An hour later I received a message from the PO saying that email was coming out, but that the panel was "uncertain."

The email explained that NSF's legal team is trying to decipher the legality of holding panels, for which they pay for volunteers' travel. As a result they postponed panels that were being held today (Monday), despite people having traveled to DC already.

The panel I am on is "uncertain" because there is a chance that the legal team decides the panel can go on.

All this to say that the new regime running the country is a wasteful lot of idiots. And they don't care. Even though they purport to save money and run good businesses, they are really bullies seeking retribution for their failures despite the fact that they always fail upward.

I just want people to know that this government is wasting a shit ton of money. Hope MAGA is happy.