Union of Concerned Scientists: Trump Administration Sidelines Science First Six Months in Office

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Since Donald Trump took the oath of office six months ago, his administration and congressional allies have undermined the vital role science plays in policy decisions, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The report, "Sidelining Science Since Day One: How the Trump Administration Has Harmed Public Health and Safety in Its First Six Months," analyzes the ways the federal government uses science to make policy and how the administration has opened the door to new levels of political interference in the process.

"There's a clear pattern here," said Gretchen Goldman, research director for the Center for Science and Democracy at UCS and a report co-author. "This administration and its allies in Congress are pushing science aside, and in the process, they're putting the public at risk."

The report documents that the Trump administration has dismissed key scientific advisors, left critical science positions vacant, restricted federal scientists' ability to speak publicly, denied public access to taxpayer-funded information, and ignored scientific evidence in order to delay or roll back vital public safeguards. In many cases, they have appointed officials with close ties to the industries they will oversee and a record of attacking the very agencies they have been put in charge of.

"If we're not using science to make policy, these decisions will be made on behalf of industry lobbyists," said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy and a former regional administrator for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. "The federal government can't make good decisions without good independent science, but this administration has created a hostile environment for research."

From weather monitoring to food safety inspection to efforts to fight epidemic diseases, federal science matters—and undermining it puts Americans at risk.

UCS is mobilizing scientists and the public to challenge the administration when it ignores the facts or promotes disinformation. To encourage federal scientists to speak out, the organization has established a new legal protection fund for federal employees who help expose wrongdoing.  

"The actions the administration has taken in just six months have already put people at risk," said UCS President Ken Kimmell, a former commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. "The damage they do could last for years to come."

SOURCE Union of Concerned Scientists