Supreme Court Gives The Go-Ahead To Fire Federal Workers
A court-ordered pause on mass layoffs left workers at federal agencies in limbo. On Tuesday, that pause was lifted. In other news: Growth in mental health careers faces uncertainty from budget cuts; Boston University, a leading research facility, announces major budget cuts and layoffs; and more.
The New York Times:
Trump Got The Green Light To Fire Federal Workers. Now, They Wait.
For weeks, thousands of federal employees have been waiting for the Supreme Court to make a decision about their continued employment with the government. On Tuesday, they got their answer: The Trump administration could move ahead with mass layoffs. The question of whether the layoffs are legal remains unanswered. For now, workers remain in limbo, this time waiting for their agencies to decide who stays, who goes and when. (Sullivan and Cameron, 7/8)
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Bloomberg:
US Mental Health Jobs Boom Faces Sudden Stop As Trump Cuts Funds
Mental health providers, the fastest-growing industry in the US since the start of the pandemic, risk a sharp reversal of fortune as President Donald Trump seeks to eliminate billions of dollars in funding that enabled their expansion. In only a few months, the Trump administration has already sought to revoke more than $11 billion for addiction and mental health care and $1 billion for mental health services in schools. (Cobo and Ahasan, 7/8)
The Boston Globe:
‘There Is No Way Around This’: Boston University Announces Layoffs, Budget Cuts
Boston University is cutting $50 million from its budget for the coming year and laying off 120 staff members amid the mounting economic turmoil facing universities under the Trump administration. As a leading research university and popular destination for international students, BU could be disproportionately impacted by White House moves to restrict student visas and cut federal research spending. (Kohli, 7/7)
NPR:
Researchers Hold A 'Science Fair' For Projects Cut By The Trump Administration
Sumit Chanda, a professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research who focuses on pandemics, has made a career out of preparing for disaster. In this 2023 photo, Sethuraman Panchanathan, then the director of the National Science Foundation, testifies at a Senate committee hearing. He's wearing a suit and is seated in front of a microphone. But Chanda faced a disaster of a different kind this year, when the future of his research was thrown into doubt by the Trump administration's cuts to science funding. (Neuman, 7/9)
KFF Health News:
World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts And Chaos
The Trump administration’s broadsides against scientific research have caused unprecedented upheaval at the National Cancer Institute, the storied federal government research hub that has spearheaded advances against the disease for decades. NCI, which has long benefited from enthusiastic bipartisan support, now faces an exodus of clinicians, scientists, and other staffers — some fired, others leaving in exasperation. (Pradhan and Allen, 7/9)
Roll Call:
UN Agencies In Dire Straits Amid Threatened US Funding Cuts
If Congress this month approves the White House’s request to cancel $1 billion in federal funding for the United Nations system, experts say it will further exacerbate an already crisis-level financial shortfall for the global intergovernmental organization that the U.S. worked over decades to sustain. The Trump administration included $1 billion in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 funding spread across three different accounts in its $9.4 billion rescissions proposal that the Senate could take up next week. The proposed cuts include funding for UNICEF, which supports children’s well-being, the World Health Organization, the U.N. regular budget and international peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Oswald, 7/8)
