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.
Attacks on science
Rolled Back Protections on Migratory Birds
The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a rule that rolled back the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Trump Administration Didn’t Use Best Available Science to Estimate the Costs of Climate Change
The Trump administration failed to incorporate the best available science into how they calculate the social cost of carbon.
Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research
Under the Trump administration, the DOE buried, delayed, or sidelined 46 studies on clean energy.
EPA Rule Restricted Science
In early January 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule that limited what research can be used to craft public health protections.
US Forest Service Sidelines the Use of Environmental Studies for Infrastructure Projects
The US Forest Service issued a rule that weakens the requirement to study potential environmental harms from proposed infrastructure projects.
OSHA is Allowing Companies to Not Report COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Workers
OSHA changed its COVID-19 reporting requirements such that severe COVID-19 cases at workplaces are less likely to get reported.
Director of US Geological Survey Undermines How Scientists Study Climate Change
The USGS' operational manual was edited to push climate models that are less likely to show the worst effects of climate change.
Trump Administration Delayed a Key Step in Major Climate Report
The Fifth National Climate Assessment, had a key step delayed for several months.
Food and Drug Administration Skirts Scientific Process to Keep Food Safe
The FDA failed to enforce a policy that protects food from potentially unsafe chemicals.
Homeland Security Officials Modified Intelligence Reports to Downplay Politically-Inconvenient Threats
DHS officials delayed or modified several intelligence reports on the threat of Russian political interference in the US.
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