When it comes to pragmatic policy questions like the federal funding of science, there’s often implicit pressure to avoid culture war issues. The headline-grabbing pushback against progressive flashpoints can, some argue, become a distraction from things that matter, like technological stagnation or competition with China.
There’s truth to the objection. Virtually every major institution has adopted some sort of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy, meaning the impulse to blame DEI can become an ever-available foil for failing leadership.
But it’s wrong to say that “culture war” issues categorically distract from the hard-nosed policy questions. The two can easily become intertwined. When progressive fads become enshrined in federal funding decisions, the downstream effects can be profound. A recent episode illustrates how.
Ryan McNeil, a professor at Yale School of Medicine who advises policymakers on “harm reduction and addiction treatment interventions,” conducts his research thanks to a $2.5 million R01 grant, the gold standard of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
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John D. Sailer is senior fellow and director of higher education policy at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on X here.
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