President Donald Trump is threatening to strip Harvard of $3 billion in critical research dollars and redirect the money to trade schools unless the university complies with his executive orders dealing with campus policies and practices.

It’s a bully tactic that puts at risk both scientific progress and free speech, and one the president should end. But the second part of his threat, to shift more federal grant money to trade schools throughout the country, is a solid idea, and one that could be implemented without weakening the nation’s leadership position in science and research.

Just as the nation needs scientists and doctors, it needs carpenters, technicians, truck drivers, high-tech manufacturing workers and medical support staff. The bloated federal education budget could be easily cut to create funding to support both priorities.

The skilled labor market in the United States is facing incredible pressure, and Michigan is ground zero for the crisis. There are roughly 725,000 job openings for skilled tradesmen in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number has remained consistent since the disruption of the pandemic.

The scarcity of trained workers has heightened the competition for talent. The sectors’ average wages have increased by more than 20% since the first quarter of 2020, according to a 2024 McKinsey & Co. report.

An aging workforce is adding to the shortage. By 2027, the ratio of post-working-age individuals to those of working age will have risen by about 75% — to 3.5 individuals out of every 10 people from 2 out of every 10.

In Michigan, businesses need highly skilled workers in nearly every industry, from agriculture to construction, but particularly in manufacturing. There is an enormous dearth of talent to fill critical positions in the state’s key industries. Skilled trades are expected to account for 47,000 annual job openings a year in Michigan through 2028, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

And yet Michigan’s unemployment rate is the second-highest in the nation at 5.5% — up from 4.2% year-over-year. Clearly there is a mismatch between the individuals in the workforce and the type of skilled workers so many businesses need — particularly in Michigan.

Both the state and the nation must rapidly train skilled workers. Bolstering trade schools, community colleges and apprenticeships will help achieve the goal.

Meeting this urgent need shouldn’t get caught up in Trump’s petty war with Harvard and other universities.

To keep pace with other nations in an increasingly competitive world economy, the U.S. must aggressively fund both the quest for scientific breakthroughs and the training of workers to build the laboratories where they are hatched.

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