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
DOI Ignored Dangers to Marine Mammals from Oil and Gas Operations
The DOI approved hundreds of oil drilling and seismic surveys operations in the Gulf of Mexico without carrying out the analyses required by law to assess the impact on marine mammals and endangered species.
Last Ditch Effort to Limit Science in Endangered Species Act Rescinded
The Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior announced in late April 2009 a decision to overturn the last minute Bush Endangered Species Act Section 7 rule.
Pressure Not to Diagnose PTSD at the U.S. Army and Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Army and Department of Veterans Affairs allegedly pressured psychologists not to diagnose PTSD to free Army from providing long-term, expensive care for soldiers.
Restrictions on the Right to Publish at the EPA
Some EPA divisions have instituted policies that unduly restrict the expression of scientific opinion.
EPA Scientists Restricted From Presenting Findings at Conferences
Interviews with scientists show that in recent years, the EPA restricted its scientists from presenting their research at conferences, thereby impeding the communication and exchange of scientific information.
EPA Scientists Restricted from Speaking Freely with the Media
Information from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists and EPA policies indicate that the EPA restricts its scientists from speaking freely to the media.
BLM Prevents Listing of Endangered Plant, Promotes Oil Shale Development in Its Habitat
BLM Prevents Listing of Endangered Plant, Promotes Oil Shale Development in Its Habitat.
The FDA Declares that Bisphenol A is Safe, Despite Scientific Evidence
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relied heavily on two industry-funded studies in declaring the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) safe for humans, while ignoring over one hundred scientific studies linking BPA with adverse health effects.
White House Politics Collide With Endangered Right Whale
A rule designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, issued in October 2008, bears the hallmarks of political interference in science.
Wildlife Manager Pressured on Border Wall
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pressured a veteran wildlife refuge manager to approve plans routing the U.S. / Mexico border wall through the Lower Rio Grande Valley national wildlife refuge.
Related resources
Activist Resource
Scientific Society Sign-On Letter
This open letter, signed by more than 40 prominent scientific societies and organizations, was delivered to Congress in March 2025.
Activist Resource
Cumulative Impacts: Recommendations for EPA
To improve environmental health, UCS prepared eight fact sheets summarizing the recommendations of the NEJAC Cumulative Impacts Workgroup to the EPA.
Activist Resource
Resources for Federal Scientists
Are you a federal scientist, contractor, or federal worker? Here are resources to have on hand during the Trump administration.
Explainer
Applications of Climate, Energy, and Environmental Justice
Assessing the key different types of justice (distributive, procedural, and restorative) within the climate and energy movements can be challenging.