Faculty and research leaders are warning that delayed and stalled federal research funding is beginning to affect academic planning for the next research cycle. Reporting on the impact of the Trump administration’s budget posture, the article says NIH and NSF have disbursed only a fraction of budgets so far this year—15% of NIH’s nearly $40 billion academic research budget and about 20% of NSF grants—while agencies have faced delays releasing funds. The Office of Management and Budget has taken on a larger role in screening and blocking research grants that do not align with White House priorities, including via an August executive order that expands alignment oversight for discretionary federal funding. Experts cited uncertainty as a driver of delayed hiring, limited admissions for PhD and postdoctoral students, and paused research initiatives. The article also points to compounding effects from earlier announced NSF cuts and institutional responses—risks that could ripple into the scientific workforce pipeline.