President Donald Trump’s first month in office has been marked by a defiance of laws and judicial rulings never seen before, amounting to a constitutional crisis, according to many legal experts.
Below is a statement by Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“We are in crisis. The Trump administration has illegally seized power not granted to it by the U.S. Constitution. It has empowered Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, to take control of crucial government functions while eliminating public transparency and accountability by placing activities by the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, beyond the reach of the Freedom of Information Act. Furthermore, the administration is actively disregarding the rule of law by failing to comply with federal court orders to lift its illegal funding freeze and release money already appropriated by Congress to pay for federal grants and contracts.
“This is not democracy. It is an unconstitutional and illegal power grab.
“The Union of Concerned Scientists stands for facts, evidence and science. When rigorous analysis informs democratic policymaking, we can better solve complex problems and build a healthy, safer and more just world.
“When the rule of law is compromised to benefit the president’s billionaire donors and when science is sidelined, urgent problems are ignored, and people get hurt. That is exactly what is happening right now. The Trump administration has interfered with life-saving medical research and meetings on cancer, vaccines, antibiotic resistance and more. They have pulled funding for job-boosting technology initiatives and are working hard to fire civil servants who, for example, enforce laws that protect us from air and water pollution. In addition, the Trump administration is burying information that the U.S. public has paid for and demolishing government functions we all depend on.
“We call on every member of Congress to uphold the U.S. Constitution and defend the rule of law and the checks and balances that define our system of government. Senators and representatives have taken an oath not to a president or a party but to the Constitution and to the people they represent.
“UCS is mobilizing thousands of scientists in our Science Network to demand that senators take action to address this constitutional crisis. They must force President Trump to fire Elon Musk, disband DOGE and restore all congressionally approved funding for science, public health and communities. We call on everyone in the scientific community who cares about facts, science and democracy to join us in this call to action.
“And finally, to civil servants and experts in government doing their work on behalf of the people, we see you, we thank you and we support you.”