Letters to the Editor: Research investments must be ‘shielded from partisan strife’

To the editor: This article highlights the urgent need to protect scientific funding from political interference (“Federal judge orders Trump to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA medical research grants,” Sept. 22). Research grants must be awarded and maintained on the basis of merit, not controversies involving campus debates or admissions policies.

Publicly funded research has produced breakthroughs in cancer treatment and the prevention of infectious diseases. Metaphorically speaking, using grants as political leverage is like depriving an orchard of water because of a dispute over a fence — it stunts the growth on which society depends. To safeguard innovation and public health, federal research investments must remain bipartisan and shielded from partisan strife.

Nadia Thawan Chinkatok, Long Beach