"Having 50% of their grant leeched off" is not how indirects work.

You know what's a much bigger problem for people doing research? That the budget for a non-modular R01 from the NIH hasn't changed since the Clinton administration.

When the government hires a consultant, the rate charged is usually 2-3x the salary of that consultant; 50% is well below the 100-200+% rates you see all the time in business.

I’m not sure what you’re talking about: the percentage of indirects that goes to admin costs has been capped by the feds to 26% for _ages_.

Where will these people conduct their research?

bloated administrative complex aka the shared mass spec. people can simply buy all the expensive lab equipment as needed instead of sharing it!