On March 7, 2025, there was a rally on the National Mall in Washington D.C., at the base of the Lincoln Memorial hosted by Stand Up for Science. It was billed as a protest against recent proposals to reduce indirect costs reimbursements to universities for research grants. These reductions are being painted as an assault on science by the Trump administration, and the rally was billed as a demand for more funding for research.
In fact, Stand Up for Science was not about science at all. It was classic astroturf for the United Auto Workers. The UAW has been organizing graduate students and post-docs nationwide into labor unions, and they want more money and jobs for their members. It is not about science, because the numbers show there are actually no cuts for research funding, but a nearly $40 billion increase from 2024.
Watch as National Association of Scholars' Director of Science Programs J. Scott Turner chronicles the rally.
Photo from YouTube video taken by J. Scott Turner
