A Maryland researcher who is studying possible treatments for a disease that鈥檚 killing citrus trees across the country said her U.S. Department of Agriculture grant funding has been on hold for months.
Anne Simon, a University of Maryland professor, who also has a company called Silvec Biologics, , a disease that鈥檚 killing citrus trees in Florida, Texas and California, among other places.
The grant, Simon said, was intended to pay for a field trial of a possible treatment for citrus greening. But it鈥檚 been put on hold, she said, as President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration makes changes to the federal workforce and cuts at federal agencies.
鈥淭his has literally never happened,鈥� Simon said. 鈥淓xperiments are on hold. People鈥檚 lives are on hold. Science is on hold.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear when the grant funding is going to be released, Simon said, calling it essential to help find a potential cure. About 95% of Florida鈥檚 citrus trees are dead, she said, and the disease is impacting trees in California and Texas too.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a terrible disease,鈥� Simon said. 鈥淲e have a possible treatment, and our grants are being held up for no reason. This is just … it鈥檚 devastating.鈥�
Simon said she can鈥檛 proceed with the trial and can鈥檛 hire the staff she needs to help with it.
She鈥檚 鈥渢rying to keep my people here, so that when the grant does start, hopefully it will start, that I鈥檒l have the right people here to work on it. But I鈥檓 worried about losing people in my lab,鈥� Simon said.
Simon and her father were among the thousands who attended Friday鈥檚 鈥淪tand up for Science鈥� rally near the Lincoln Memorial, speaking out about changes at federal agencies and calling for politics to stay out of scientific research.
Her dad, Mayo Simon, said despite decades of work in the sciences, 鈥渋t鈥檚 all being kind of taken away from her.鈥�
Similarly, Anne Simon said, researchers are hoping to have their universities offer them bridge funding, but soon 鈥渢here鈥檚 not going to be any funding left for bridge funding,鈥� she said.
She鈥檚 asked for it, and been told she can have it if she needs it, but 鈥淚鈥檓 just eking by just trying to find pots of money that will fund the one person in my lab,鈥� she said.
Meanwhile, she said, the changes are impacting graduate education. Research grants fund graduate students, 鈥渁nd so when you stop research funding, especially in the medical fields, we are not going to be training the students of the future,鈥� she said.
Some of the college seniors she teaches have had their acceptances to graduate school rescinded, Simon said, and she鈥檚 expecting some of them to look at overseas programs instead.
鈥淭his is just, it鈥檚 devastating for science,鈥� Simon said.
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