Updates to this feature are currently paused as we assess the best way to monitor and expose the large number of attacks on science that we're seeing from the current administration.
Science is at the core of a healthy democracy. But for years, presidential administrations have, in differing ways, sidelined scientific evidence and attacked scientific integrity.
Below is a running list of attacks on science. They include disappearing data, silenced scientists, suppressed studies, and other assaults on science-based policy. The list provides a representative sample of threats to the federal scientific enterprise—and a warning of what we face in the future. More information can be found in our peer-reviewed study and in our data repository.
Attacks on science
“Administration Issues” Derailed a Study on Sex Trafficking in Native Communities
A research study, looking at sex trafficking in Native communities, was terminated when the Trump administration transitioned in.
Endangered Crayfish in West Virginia Threatened as Coal Mining Resumes Near its Habitat
DOI officials allowed the resumption of coal mines jeopardizing the survival of two threatened/endangered crayfish species.
Trump Administration Orders Scientists to Conduct Less Accurate Climate Change Science
USGS can only use climate models that project the impact of climate change through 2040, rather than through the end of the century.
Trump Administration Puts Offshore Oil Rig Workers’ Lives at Risk
The Trump administration sidelined science in a decision to roll back protections for the safety of offshore oil rig workers.
How Do Common Chemicals Harm Children? The EPA Now Refuses to Fund the Science
EPA has decided not to fund 13 research centers that study chemical exposure in childhood and adverse health outcomes.
Endangered Species Threatened in Arizona Due to Politics and Bad Science
Federal agencies are abdicating their responsibility to use the best available science to protect some of the most jeopardized species on the planet.
The White House Restricts Science, Potentially Causing the Best Available Science to Disappear from Policymaking
The White House issued a memo on the use of scientific information by federal agencies that restricts the use of scientific information to inform policies.
EPA Officials Ignored Their Own Scientists on the Dangers of Asbestos
EPA issued a rule that only restricted the import of asbestos, providing a regulated pathway for industry to use asbestos-containing products in the US.
Trump Administration Orders the Removal of 30 Species from the Endangered Species List
Leaders from the FWS issued a directive instructing officials to delist, downlist, or otherwise preclude 30 species each year from the endangered species list.
USDA Casts Doubts on its Own Scientists’ Peer-Reviewed Work by Calling it “Preliminary”
A USDA issued memo requires scientists to label their peer-reviewed publications as “preliminary,” a label that could inaccurately cast doubt on the studies.
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