The Trump administration sends a politically charged survey to scientists

Trump’s administration asked researchers and organizations whose work is carried out abroad to disclose the connections with those considered hostile, including “entities related to communist, socialist or totalitarian parties,” in accordance with the questionnaire obtained by the Modern York Times.

An internet survey was sent this week to groups working abroad for research, such as HIV, collect supervision data and strengthen public healthcare systems. The recipients received financing from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States International Development Agency and other federal sources.

The questionnaire seems to be very similar to the partners of the United States International Development Agency sent at the beginning of this week, which was almost dismantled by the Trump administration. Both were entitled “Review of Foreign Aid”.

The recipients were instructed to answer within 48 hours. Some scholarship holders with whom interviews at The Times were afraid that impolitical or unsatisfactory answers could lead to cancellation of financing.

“Dollars of taxpayers cannot finance dependencies, socialism, corrupt regimes that oppose a free enterprise or intervene in the internal matters of another sovereign nation,” said the questionnaire.

“The really prosperous America is prioritized to domestic growth, innovation and economic strength over foreign information materials,” he added.

A spokesman for the White House did not ask for a comment on the survey.

The form asks a series of questions that raise colleagues, including whether the recipients of the subsidy work with drug cartels or “groups promoting mass migration”.

He asks about the impact of programs, such as whether they have an impact on “promoting religious freedom and combating Christian persecution” in other nations.

Asks the recipients of the subsidy whether they or their organizations cooperate with financing from Russia, Cuba, Iran or China – including Confucius Institute, which cooperates with the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote language and cultural exchange with American students.

Some federal officials who supervise subsidies said that they were particularly terrified by the question, asking scholarship holders to overtake associations with communist entities. The United States facilitate in health work in many communist countries, including Vietnam.

“Some of my scholarship holders are literally structures of public health in a communist country,” said one of the federal officials who spoke anonymously for fear of revenge. “This is painful.”

Prizes and contracts for the group’s aid were subjected to review during a 90-day break on foreign aid, but in some cases have been canceled and restored in the last few weeks. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to resume payments.

Different versions of the questionnaires were sent from Wednesday, and the deadlines seem to vary from midnight on Friday to 17:00 on Monday. But this process was full of confusion.

It seems that some scholarship holders received extensions, while others were refused. Some noticed that the deadline seemed to change because more copies of the questionnaire were received every day.

The recipients were scientists from vast universities and research programs in the United States, as well as compact organizations abroad. Some questionnaires have been apparently sent incorrectly; One was adopted by the Maine Health Department.

The main researcher with two CDC subsidies for national research projects received the e -mail message on Thursday evening, but to receive another Friday morning, telling him to ignore the previous mission.

The answers are to be filled by one person at one meeting, without any way to save the answer to the break. The form evaluates the task to take 30 minutes, including the time required to collect the necessary data and documents.

“The disordered way in which they stop work orders, endings, dismissals, restored awards, surveys – all with speedy dates and minimal communication – is distracting and extremely destructive,” said one of the scientists who spoke anonymously for fear of losing financing.

Some American scholarship holders asked lawyers for advice on the formulation of answers.

Organizations based abroad are in the most adverse situation. According to one CDC official, communication will stop the Trump administration to imposed a few weeks ago still prevents them from talking to federal officials who can be able to facilitate.

Limitors can only talk to American officials in the countries where they rely.

“They may lose the necessary funds they need to do their job if they do not answer these questions properly,” said the federal official, who spoke anonymously for fear of revenge.