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
EPA Retracts Methane Information Requests
The Trump EPA withdrew a request (initiated by the Obama EPA) for data on methane emissions from the US oil and gas industry.
HHS Rolls Back LGBT Data Collection
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stopped including questions about LGBT people in two surveys.
Government Data Disappears Across Multiple Agencies
Previously public government data from several agencies has been removed from public view in the early weeks of the Trump administration.
The Congressional Review Act: A Radical Threat To Science
An obscure, radical, and rarely used congressional trick called the Congressional Review Act (CRA) has put crucial victories on public health and the environment at risk.
Transition Team Restricts EPA Staff Attendance at Alaska Conference
The EPA's White House transition team cut staff attendance at an annual Alaska environmental conference in half, which had conference attendees wondering about the future of environmental protection for their communities.
President Trump Signs Anti-Science "Two-for-One" Rule
President Trump's executive order requiring agencies to rescind two regulations for each new one they promulgate is arbitrary and unreasonable, violates the law, and threatens public health and safety.
Federal Agency Websites Altered
Scientific content has been changed on several agency websites in the early weeks of the Trump administration—and the alterations share some common themes.
EPA Grants and Scientific Studies Reviewed by Political Appointees
When EPA contracts and grant awards were frozen for review by political appointees on the Trump transition team shortly after the inauguration, that review included scientific data and studies may have violated the agency's scientific integrity policies
CDC Cancels Climate Change Conference
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, facing likely opposition from the incoming administration, canceled a planned conference on climate change and health—setting a worrisome precedent of self-censorship and denying scientists an opportunity
Trump Transition Team Temporarily Halts Grants and Contracts at EPA
A freeze on new EPA grants and contracts, announced within hours of President Trump's inauguration, did not result in any immediate funding cuts. However, the episode raises troubling questions about how the agency will operate under Trump.
Related resources
Report
Improving Election Data Transparency
Recommendations for states on best practices for improving election data transparency.
Activist Resource
The Electric Utility Toolkit
A set of resources and ideas for making a more just and inclusive power grid.
Activist Resource
The Science and Climate Litigation Webinar Series
Trainings, discussions, and case studies focused on the intersection of law, climate change, and science.
Activist Resource
Scientist Community Partnerships
Scientist-community partnerships can help level the playing field for communities that are being shut out of important policy discussions, and UCS is taking an active role in fostering these collaborations.