Attacks on Science

The Trump administration and 115th Congress have been actively dismantling science-based health and safety protections, sidelining scientific evidence, and undoing recent progress on scientific integrity.

Below is a running list of attacks on science—disappearing data, silenced scientists, and other assaults on scientific integrity and science-based policy. The list provides a representative sample of threats to the federal scientific enterprise.

Attacks on science

Agency Type of attack

The silhouette of a factory emitting smoke.

The EPA suspended anti-pollution laws during the pandemic

The EPA temporarily suspended its enforcement activities, allowing industrial facilities to decide whether they would comply with environmental laws.

Two polar bears standing near each other.

Polar Bear Study by USGS Scientists Shelved for Three Months

The Director of the USGS delayed the release of a study on polar bear dens for three months.

CDC Scientists Sidelined in Decision to Seal US Border

The White House ordered the CDC to use their emergency powers to effectively seal the US borders in March, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

White House Blocks FDA’s Vaccine Guidance Document

The White House blocked the release of an FDA guidance document, which detailed steps that pharma companies need to take to produce a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

School children sit at individual, spaced out, lunch tables.

CDC Scientists Repeatedly Pressured to Downplay the Risks of School Reopenings During Pandemic

During the summer, top White House officials repeatedly pressured the CDC to downplay the risks of in-person school.

CDC Report on a Pork Plant’s COVID-19 Outbreak was Watered Down

A CDC report was edited and reissued one day later to be softer and less certain about its science-based recommendations.

A stop sign in front of a construction site.

Fifty-Year-Old Science-Based Legislation, NEPA, is Gutted

A final rule upended processes by which science is used to analyze how government projects impact the environment and surrounding communities.

A masked school teacher, wiping down her classroom.

CDC Reports on COVID-19 were Delayed or Edited by HHS Political Appointees

Against the objections of scientists, political appointees at the HHS edited, delayed, and tried to halt numerous CDC reports and studies on COVID-19.

Census Bureau Tightens its Counting Timeline, Endangering the Accuracy of 2020 Census

The Census Bureau, under pressure from administration officials, was forced to shorten its 2020 counting efforts by a full month.

Gloved doctor holds a COVID-19 test marked "positive."

FDA Now Lacks Authority to Halt Use of Inaccurate Coronavirus Tests

In a move strongly opposed by FDA officials, the agency will no longer use science-based checks to regulate a broad swathe of laboratory tests, including coronavirus tests.

We've seen this movie before. And we know how to fight back. We're standing up for science. We're inviting scientists to securely share information on scientific integrity abuses. And we're encouraging our supporters to watchdog this administration and Congress, as we did during the George W. Bush administration and the Barack Obama administration.

Beyond this list, many other moves by the president and Congress degrade the environment for science and scientists in this country. For example, the president’s Muslim ban hurts science and scientists, including those working for the federal government and the president’s rescinding transgender protections is damaging to the ability of all young budding scientists to reach their full potential. These actions are also important to document, and we continue do so on the UCS blog.

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