The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.

“There is a lot of pressure to essentially leave the country or not pursue research,” one Ph.D. student says

This scenario, until recently, might have read like a dystopian projection. But after the court’s decision on Friday, it is no longer hypothetical.

Science is an economic driver in Hamilton, Mont., thanks to Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a federal research lab. Now, layoffs and funding cuts are having an impact in this town far from Washington.