We were visiting Portland, Oregon, and caught up with the son of one of our colleagues. A native son of Hopkinton, he embraced the rural joys of our community, but science was his calling. He went to Harvard Medical School and earned his PH.D. in neuroscience.

Then, he turned his eyes to the west coast and joined the OHSU Vollum Institute. He dumb downed for us the scope of his research, but it relates to the overarching question of how and why the brain operates as it does. The research has profound implications for those suffering with psychiatric disorders.

After a pleasant updating, we asked about the impact of President Trump’s ordering the National Institutes of Health to reduce its allocation for indirect costs. The answer was devastating. It would stop critical research, put young scientists out of work and put at risk America’s role in future medical research.

Trump’s order directly impacts us. UNH and Dartmouth both receive significant federal funding to pursue life-altering medical research.

But not so fast in Oregon: The Attorney General of Oregon joined 21 other attorneys’ generals to counter Trump’s directive. A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order against the cuts. All New England states have joined the litigation. But not New Hampshire.

As Gov. Ayotte seeks to balance the budget, she is embracing a scheme that devastates New Hampshire’s future in funding for scientific research and development and directly tells future scientists to go west, where science is valued.

Steven Gordon and Lucy Karl

Hopkinton