West front of the United States CapitolWIKIMEDIASequester and shutdown
On March 1, automatic spending cuts—known as the sequester—went into effect in the federal budget. Government agencies across the board were affected. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), for instance, was required to cut 5 percent of its budget, or $1.55 billion dollars, which the agency predicted would result in 640 fewer grants awarded in 2013 than in fiscal year (FY) 2012.
Problems only got worse when the government shut down completely October 1, after Congress failed to pass a 2014 spending bill. The Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and research and medical facilities at the NIH were among the sites effectively closed for the duration of the 16-day shutdown, which resulted in some researchers completely scrapping some projects. “For me, ...
