The Trump administration notified the University last week that it was cutting $21 million in federal funding for the University’s Prairie Research Institute. The cuts occurred during the government shutdown, which has now reached its two-week mark.
Last week, the Department of Energy notified the PRI that six of its grants were immediately terminated, according to Marc Miller, the institute’s deputy director.
The PRI is made up of five state scientific surveys and oversees the Illinois Water Resources Center. Its faculty and staff conduct climate research on biodiversity, pollution prevention, sustainable energy and more.
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., a University alum who represents Illinois’ 13th congressional district, visited the University Tuesday morning to speak with researchers whose grants were terminated by the recent funding cuts. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John Coleman and Executive Director of the PRI Praveen Kumar were in attendance.
“It was very helpful to hear her questions about the impacts and what it means for the communities and for our university,” Miller said of Rep. Budzinski’s visit. “We know that she has strong concerns for the terminations, and she stated that she was grateful to us for our work and that she will carry that back to Washington, D.C.”
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Miller said they did not yet know the full extent of how the funding loss would impact the PRI.
“It is really too soon to tell, but the $21 million in funding loss is going to have a tremendous impact, not just on the University and for the students, but also for our surrounding communities,” Miller said. “Those grants essentially amount to 450 scientific, technical and construction jobs in central Illinois.”
The government shutdown reached its two-week mark on Tuesday — something the Trump administration has attributed to the Democratic Party. A press release emailed to The Daily Illini from Budzinski called the funding cuts an “act of retaliation for the government shutdown.”
In a cabinet meeting last week, President Donald Trump warned he would begin cutting funding to “Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans,” according to Politico. Funding cuts for 16 Democratic-led states will total $8 billion.
Miller said the PRI did not want to comment on the politics of the funding loss, but said their work serves people worldwide, regardless of their political affiliation.
“Our work reaches across the state and around the world with the kind of impacts that create jobs, protect the environment, provide things like clean water and protection from flooding,” Miller said. “It doesn’t matter what political following they have; these cuts are going to impact the country and our state and everyday Americans.”
