Scientists are not on the freaking take. Stop putting it out there! Scientists don't care about the poltiical BS and just want to make new discoveries. They want to recreate what others have done to check their work and/or prove others false, to become famous themselves...and not pop-culture famous, but scientifically famous. We all know Stephen Hawking, but he MIGHT be one of the 10 most prominent astrophysicists among actual astrophysicists. They want to become famous among their peers and to the young scientists in the next generation.
That's all they want.