Republicans in the Senate have taken it upon themselves to create a hit list of federally funded science projects they deem too “woke”. In a recent crusade led by Ted Cruz, approximately 3,500 National Science Foundation (NSF) grants have been flagged as ideologically questionable. Some researchers are scratching their heads, wondering if they’re now public enemies simply for doing their jobs, like helping throat cancer patients recover from radiation therapy.

Darren Lipomi, a chemist at the University of Rochester, typically focuses on serious health issues. But now he finds himself lumped in with “Neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda” just because his research involves diverse patient populations. Can you imagine trying to save lives and getting slapped with a “woke” sticker in the process? Lipomi expressed his outrage on social media, showcasing the absurdity of tying crucial scientific research to a political agenda.

The flagged grants, representing more than $2 billion in funding, feature research efforts across all 50 states, linking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) themes with a supposed undermining of hard science. Cruz insists that the Biden administration’s insistence on DEI means fewer dollars for innovative research like, oh, finding cures for deadly diseases.

Of course, the irony here is rich, considering the long-standing bipartisan support behind DEI initiatives. It’s nearly as if Republicans are metaphorically holding a match to decades of progress in American science. Former NSF director Neal F. Lane noted that attempts to create a more inclusive scientific community have existed since the '90s, and now they’re being tossed under the bus like yesterday’s news.

Scientists on Cruz’s hit list are understandably nervous. Shumpei Maruyama, a Japanese immigrant and cell biologist, worries about getting deported for being on the watch list, which is basically the 21st-century equivalent of a scarlet letter.

This new wave of scrutiny targets not only grants that explicitly focus on diversity, but projects mentioning acknowledged disparities in outcomes or issues like climate change. It seems words like “gender” and “equity” have now become code words for political ideologies that threaten the GOP’s conception of research.

As the Republican party dives deeper into this culture war over science, it’s not just about funding but an atmosphere of fear that could stifle innovation and push young scientists to rethink their careers. Because let’s be real: who wants to dip into science when the only grant you can get is the one that’s free of any label deemed too ‘woke’?

In the coming months, scientists across the nation will be forced to grapple not only with research questions, but with a political landscape that increasingly resembles a battlefield. It’s time to get real about the stakes here; the future of scientific innovation, and who gets to participate in it, hangs in the balance.