Trump’s shortening to the USAID threatens the University of Nevada, Global Partnerships and Reno -Las Vegas Sun Research

UNR says it has received an order to stop work on three projects intended to develop global partnerships and research, as about $ 30 million federal funding used in these initiatives can dry up in President Donald Trump of US President Donald Trump International Development Agency.

Trump wants to remove the bigger part of the USAID initiatives, the agency charged with the help of countries in need of disaster support, poverty or democratic reforms and move all others to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who runs what is being charged as a department for the Efficiency of the Government on a section, claims that the agency is full of fraudulent costs of dollars of taxpayers with “next non -supervision”.

This does not sit well in UNR.

Get Sudeep Chandra, Professor of Biology and Director of the Global Water Center of the School, who says the focus of the joint leading project funded by USAID “Wondering of Mekong” is his diplomacy.

“People really understand us, the way we can approach things in the US,” Chandra said. “The positive ways we can deal with the problems of pollution, to solve problems, and some of my favorite parts were the idea that we are creating a whole new generation of people, both American and Cambodian, for example, who respect each other, They also help each other. “

The project “Wonders of Mekong” supports the preservation, development of politics and scientific cooperation for continuing education in the Mekong River in Southeast Asia – the home of over 20,000 plant species and 850 species of plants. The Mekong River Committee estimates that 80% of nearly 65 million people living in the Mekong Lower Pool depend on the river and its natural resources for their livelihood.

“What is great about Renault is that people think we’re in the wilderness and ‘Oh, why would you do these great global projects? “Said Chandra. “This is because we understand the water in the desert. We understand how limiting it can be, how we need to protect the resource and approaches to it. “

Chandra said UNR has opened two new laboratories in Cambodia for the project, one to test water quality and another supporting fishing. UNR students who study there can use service project laboratories. Laboratories are also used to host international students.

He added that one of the project achievements was helping to prevent the development of a major STEm dam in the heart of Mekong in Cambodia to ensure that local communities maintain access to food sources.

The university said the impact of the stop order will include a delay in sustainable development policies, the withdrawal of influence in Southeast Asia in other countries investing in the development of Mekong, interruption of research partnerships and the overall restriction of international opportunities for US universities.

Chandra also talks about the withdrawal of American influence in the region, saying that in the last few weeks there has been an interest in development, led by Chinese coming to Cambodia.

“This, in my opinion, is the biggest stress I have seen,” Chandra said. “It is suddenly that our values ​​we have tried to share abroad are just removed overnight.”

He said it was common in this area of ​​work to have scarce security of resources, so it is often approached projects with understanding that they are short -term. However, the change in the Mekong project is something extremely different from that.

“The follow -up of students, for the people of the early careers who are trying to build their careers, is shocking,” Chandra said. “As, where will they be paid? Where? Where will they try to complete their training? And I think it’s so really non -American, it’s weird to me. “

Other UnR projects involved included a program for the exchange of media and digital literacy, which is a two -week effort to exchange education designed to fight misinformation and promote “ethical digital commitment”.

The university in a statement said this was another case of limiting the influence of the United States abroad and added that the decision affects faculty studies and students’ commitment by financing UNS abbreviations and the US school districts.

UNR also received a stop ordering order for its ACONCAGUA ACONCAGUA Meteorological Station project, which aims to improve the weather forecasts, climate research and water management through high altitude meteorological stations installed on high altitudes The highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.

Stopping, UNR said, will slow down climate and water research, Duty Diplomatic Relations with Argentina, limit US contribution to global climate research and affect models to forecast aviation safety and time prediction due to reduced access to high altitude data S

“(UNR) The leadership continues to closely monitor the actions of presidential execution. The situation is still liquid and it is not quite obvious what the long -term consequences will be, “UNR wrote in its statement.

Beyond USAID programs

The impact of Trump Presidency is not limited by USAID -funded programs.

Just a month ago, for example, stakeholders can use the International Program for Leadership of Visitors to the School Website to learn about the professional exchange funds funded through the State Department.

Today the site just reads, “The page you were looking for cannot be found.”

Karina Black, the Executive Director of the International Center of the North Nevada, said her team downloaded the web site because “we don’t want to do accidents when it comes to what programs we can have.”

It estimates that between 60% and 70% of the project leadership program projects have been reduced and it is not clear so far what will be allowed to continue or be re -removed.

Black said that the members of the board were provided with very emotional support. They spoke to her staff, she said, noting, “This is not the first time the crisis has influenced either a resettlement or exchange that this is a normal part of life, ups and falls, and we just have to navigate them The best as possible. “

Black calculates that she spends much of her day with employees who worry that they may be out of work if the Trump administration continues to reduce federal costs.

The Center has already seen programs stops such as professional exchanges and refugee displacement, the last of which helped about 100 people move to the Renault area in December and January, she said.

“It was extremely challenging – to know that there are people we have committed to, to bring them here and to help them,” Black said. “And so was it unprecedented about how to manage every day to focus on a new reality? And managing all these different executive orders. “

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