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
President's Council on Bioethics
The Bush administration dismissed Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a leading cell biologist, and Dr. William May, a prominent medical ethicist, from the President's Council on Bioethics.
Interior Department Overrules Scientists on Marbled Murrelet Designation
The Bush administration overruled the opinions of its own government scientists in deciding that the marbled murrelet in California, Oregon, and Washington was not genetically or ecologically distinct from bird populations in Canada and Alaska.
Agency Experts “Aghast” as EPA Adjusts Air Quality Models
In April 2004, air quality modelers from 9 regional EPA offices lodged an internal protest against a Bush administration policy that relaxes the way pollution can be measured over national parks and wilderness areas.
Agencies Control Scientists’ Contacts with the Media
Media policies at federal agencies have been changed to increase control over communications about climate science.
Scientific Knowledge on Breast Cancer Distorted
Information suggesting a link between abortion and breast cancer was posted on the National Cancer Institute website despite objections from CDC staff.
EPA Ignored Science When Regulating Power Plant Mercury Emissions
George W. Bush administration suppressed government research on mercury pollution damage and refused to undertake standard comparative analyses in a successful effort to avoid stronger standards regulating mercury emissions by coal-fired power plants.
World Trade Center Rescue Workers Believed EPA, Ended Up Sick
World Trade Center rescue workers believed EPA when it said Ground Zero area was safe, and ended up getting sick. The impact of this public deception continues to be felt by thousands of rescue workers now plagued by chronic and crippling lung ailments.
White House Office Overrules Science and Procedures at the EPA
The GW Bush White House Office of Management and Budget greatly expanded its power over governmental regulations and issued sweeping procedural changes to control how science is used by federal agencies.
Science Washed Away in Missouri River Decision Making
The Bush administration created a new team that critics alleged was an attempt to maintain river flows that favor political interests in the lower section of the Missouri River Basin.
Bull Trout Habitat Analyses Manipulated
Officials at the FWS distorted an analysis of the economic benefits of protecting the bull trout.
Related resources
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Scientific Society Sign-On Letter
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Cumulative Impacts: Recommendations for EPA
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Resources for Federal Scientists
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