Jeffrey Miron and Jacob Winter
The Trump administration sparked controversy this month by reducing grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. The move, currently blocked by a judge, caps the percentage of grant funds that can be used for indirect costs at 15 percent.
There are legitimate debates about a universal cap on funding for indirect costs, as well as about President Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to reforming government.
But it is also worth asking whether governments should fund research at all.
In a previous piece, we argued they should not. Read it here.