Employees at RTI research everything from air quality to water resources. The work could be in limbo.
The Trump Administration is moving to close the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
RTI is a top recipient of USAID money and receives most of its funding through federal research contracts.
According to Congressional Research, RTI ranked sixth on a list of entities receiving the most total federal money outside of the military. It received more than $2.6 billion between the fiscal years 2013 and 2022.
The State Department is defending this aid freeze and says the administration has already prevented one billion in unnecessary funding.
NC State Economist Andrew Greenland says researchers have been bracing for potential funding cuts and the job losses would be a huge blow to North Carolina's our regional economy.
"To have that money pulled is not only detrimental to our policy goals and trying to understand some of the complex relationships that they're going to dig into, but it can also be problematic when one of the primary funding sources does get pulled for one of the big research employers in the region," said Greenland.
RTI does receive some state funding for its work.
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ABC11 reached out to the nonprofit for comment on the potential shutdown of the federal agency and waiting to hear back.