Inflation at Home, Grants Abroad: Why Were We Funding Aussie Universities?
Why are we funding universities in Australia while Americans are struggling to stay afloat?
It sounds like a joke — until you read the fine print. For years, U.S. federal agencies quietly sent millions of American taxpayer dollars to seven Australian universities, funding everything from medical research to joint defense projects.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced calls to respond after the Trump administration cut funding to seven Australian universities.”
Let’s take a step back: the United States — deep in debt, facing inflation, and with families struggling to afford groceries, rent, and gas — was sending cash to Australia, a wealthy country with universal healthcare, subsidized universities, and a much smaller military footprint.
The cut of funding could leave a $600 million hole in the efforts of Australian researchers, with the US the largest research partner of Australia.
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The funding cut is another step in President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, with ‘DEI, woke gender ideology and the Green New Deal’ listed as reasons why the US had announced a ‘temporary pause’ in grants.
You’d think a commonsense policy decision — prioritizing Americans in a time of economic strain — would be broadly understood. Instead, it sparked a diplomatic uproar.
“It is incumbent on the prime minister to call an emergency meeting of the National Science and Technology Council, which he chairs, compelling all ministers to the table to share intel and comprehensively assess the extent of Australia’s exposure to a reduction in US R&D investment across portfolios,” Ms Arabia said.
An emergency meeting. Over a funding stream that was never guaranteed. It’s like someone panicking when their free Uber Eats promo code finally expires.
The surveys they received asked several questions including whether the researchers had received funding from China, and if their university had recognised only two sexes — male and female.”
So this wasn’t just a budget issue — it was a strategic and ideological one. The surveys, sent by US agencies, revealed that some of these universities had ties to Chinese research institutions, and others were raising eyebrows over their cultural agendas. Yet the U.S. was bankrolling them anyway, even as domestic inflation reached 40-year highs and everyday Americans were living paycheck-to-paycheck.
And still, the money flowed — quietly, year after year — until someone finally asked: Why?
To recap: in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, U.S. taxpayer dollars were funding research at foreign universities — including institutions entangled in questionable partnerships — while Americans are struggling with rising prices and putting groceries back at the checkout line.
This isn’t about isolationism. It’s about priorities. It’s about accountability. And it’s about the simple, obvious question: Why are we funding universities in Australia while Americans are struggling to stay afloat?
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Trans researchers no doubt
Down vote indicated that we have a deranged sexual deviant lurking here.
There’s always economic strain. That’s what economics is.
Or the newest Covid like monstrosity
Well, we did find the China virus amd we did find the bird flu which has killed millions of birds and animals and now mutated to start killing people
No more pink eye with bird flu
I think al these scientists belong in jail
They can make license plates for 40 years
Grift and Graft
Here and abroad.
“This isn’t about isolationism.”
Trump’s critics often call him an “isolationist.” This is a pejorative term, which is why they use it. However, Trump is not an isolationist. Trump is a non-interventionist, in the tradition of the founders, who wanted the US to be a friend to, and trade partner with, all and an enemy of none.
Yep. The globalists whether the neocons, the wokiestas or the faux libertarian ‘free trade’ variety all despise the idea of the USA asserting an agenda that places the National Security, Foreign Policy and Economic interests of average US Citizens as its primary focus. It cuts off many gravy trains and up ends the very outdated post WWII framework. The rest of the world outside MAGA much rather the USA continue to spend $ we don’t have on their defense, the defense of the sea lanes for their merchant fleets and in endless govt boondoggles.
Putting the well-being of our own Citizens as higher priority than the interests of the rest of the world should not be controversial. Those who insist it is controversial are like an abusive spouse who tries to gaslight their victim. Time to stop being the ‘mark’ for these people.
“Isolationist is a pejorative term invented by imperialists to denigrate noninterventionists,”
‘Isolationism’ is the whine that the globalists always use when asked to explain how all of their nonsense actually benefits America.
It’s not ‘isolationist’ to say that we shouldn’t be sending massive amounts of money to countries that hate us.
It’s not ‘isolationist’ to say that we shouldn’t be ‘allies’ with countries that openly hate us and everything we stand for.
It’s not ‘isolationist’ to say that our alleged ‘allies’ need to actually be pulling their weight and contributing something that benefits us.
“U.S. federal agencies quietly sent millions of American taxpayer dollars to seven Australian universities, funding everything from medical research to joint defense projects.”
And yet still not as stupid as sending funds to the Chicoms to create bioweapons.
It seems to me that much of China’s bioweapon efforts have backfired, doing more damage to China than others, especially leaders who were kept alive through murder.
The only problem with cutting off money to Australia is that the Aussies have been getting cozy with China. China is a lot closer and has been dumping their cars in Australia as part of their plan to take over their economy. If the US stops the gravy train, the Aussies may look to China to make up the shortfall and China will be all too happy to oblige with strings attached.
Biden’s deal to build Australia nuclear attack submarines was stupid then and is even more stupider now, We need those subs ourselves. Let Britain transfer their technology to Australia, and let Australia fund their own research.
You do realise that Australia is the same size as the contiguous US, but with a population only slightly larger than Florida’s right? Discounting Hawaii and Alaska, that means Australia has far more to defend with far less resources. Cutting edge military research is unlikely to be in the budget.
Australia defense spending is 2.03 % of GDP. This despite fairly large increases. They are on target to reach 2.3% of GDP in about a decade.
Australia is also an island which means they need to use Naval and Air assets as first line of layered defense. They can get by with smaller active ground forces if they have a robust Army reserve.
Doesn’t matter and don’t care.
1) We already have problems building ships including subs.
2) Building ships for/with will impact delivery of our own subs because of our reduced capacity.
3) China is building at a very rapid rate.
4) Sub technology is very sensitive technology. I believe Russia/Chinese subs got much quieter when Clinton allows the sale of milling machines. Australia is not Russia or China but it is one step removed from our control.
5) Nuclear subs are for a blue water navy. Australia probably needs a littoral navy, It is overkill.
6) Australia can probably build their own frigates and in greater numbers which would probably meet their needs.
What has the UK got to do with it?
UI believe UK is part of the deal. Australia is also part of the commonwealth.
Bullshit mate, Aussies are not cosying up to the chicoms.
Our mongrel govt, installed by the stupid preferential voting system we have definitely are and hopefully will be voted out in May this year.
Real Aussies are sick and tired of govt largesse and lies. It is a leftist govt here and boy, do we need an Aussie Trump!!
“the Aussies have been getting cozy with China.”
The Aussies have been BECOMING China.
Disarming their population, then throwing them in (COVID) containment camps.
Expecting continued funding to halt this regression is a pipe dream.
Sunk costs. Abandon them.
Yeah. Disarming the average Citizen in Australia was not just bad policy on liberty grounds but on National Security as well. Continental size Nation with relatively small population and abundant resources makes an inviting target for poorer Nations with huge population. An armed Citizenry would make them a much harder nut to crack but the leftist/wokiestas got their way.
Now we’ll have $650,000 more dollars to send illegals to college!
I’ve worked on clinical trials with Australian universities, but those were ALL funded through industry—not NIH or any federal funding of any kind involved. I know Australian universities do a multitude of research in the biomedical sciences due to their known expertise in toxins and venoms of their own native fauna (in therapeutic areas ranging from cancer to anesthesia), but $600 million worth? That sounds more like national security and especially Antarctica due to the proximity of Australia (and New Zealand).
It’s be interesting to know where on the ideological spectrum those universities fall. Almost all are Left aligned, but some are Far Left, and some have zero Right or even non-Left staff.
Unfortunately you are right George. It seems that the left are indoctrinating thru the education system.
I’m smelling 53rd state.
I lived in Australia for several years, during the 2nd Obama administration. Aussies loved to brag how they send college kids to school for free, as their gov’t foots the bill. I heard endless times how backwards the US system is for making young kids go into debt to afford school. Of course Australia also has a leveling system where many kids are shut out of college early on by being placed in a non-college track in elementary and middle school. So only their brightest kids go on to college, unlike the US. Well I guess it turn out, our gov’t foots the bill, or more accurately, the American tax payer does. Personally speaking I don’t want to pay for Aussie kids to go to school for free. I think their great socialist government should do that all on their own. While you can argue this money was just for “grants” don’t tell me that without this windfall from the US that suddenly these schools won’t be in a serious crisis, unable to keep their enrollment and programs going.
Have you seen our “institutions of higher learning” lately? Why would we waste money on them when we can send it to universities Down Under to a former British penal colony where they speak with that cute accent.
Was Joe Biden aware that when he said “America’s Back!!” that there was a “Kick Me” sign involved ?
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