It hasn’t yet been a full year of President Trump’s administration, and already so much has changed for scientists inside and outside of the federal government. The administration has eliminated crucial programs and positions in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Health and Human Services, leaving the public at risk of extreme weather, foodborne illnesses, viral outbreaks, and unchecked pollution, among other harms. It’s slashed or frozen funding for researchers at universities and other institutions who were conducting life-saving scientific studies. It’s kept scientists from around the world from coming to the United States to pursue their education and careers in STEM.
With the long and growing list of attacks on science and scientists, how can the scientific community—including science enthusiasts and supporters—fight back? What is the role of an organization like the Union of Concerned Scientists? And how are scientists uniquely positioned to be on the frontlines of defending their discipline, human rights, democracy, and the planet? UCS President and CEO Gretchen Goldman shares her insights.
AAS: How has the scientific community across the US responded to the administration’s attacks on science?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: I’ve been blown away by how the scientific community has shown up. We’re already seeing record additions to our Science Network, and scientists across the nation have been willing to be brave and bold and push back against this administration. Not only in terms of speaking up and being visible, which are critically important—but also in taking much bigger actions. For example, several Science Network members went to their legislators’ local offices during the Congressional recess this August to advocate in person for science and name the harms being done by the administration.
AAS: This administration has disbanded many federal scientific advisory committees that conducted independent analyses and issued policy recommendations for science-based protections. In response, UCS released a toolkit to empower experts to form their own scientific advisory committees. These independent committees can provide scientific information and advice to decisionmakers and the public. Are you seeing scientists adopting these tools to do this work?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: The short answer is: yes. We based the advice in this toolkit on our experience in 2019 under the first Trump administration, when we brought together a group of air quality scientists to inform public health standards on harmful air pollution. Since that experience was so successful—and its results ended up informing future air pollution standards—we wanted to share what we learned from it in the second Trump administration and scale it.
And in the last ten months, many independent science efforts have emerged. These have been in the form of advisory committees like the Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee, and access to scientific information that the public deserves access to, like the climate.us page launched in response to the Trump administration’s shuttering of climate.gov.
UCS has just launched a new clearinghouse page on our site to provide information and a how-to guide for anyone interested in this work. The needs are so much greater because the devastation to American science is so much greater.
AAS: You mentioned former federal science advisors working for the US Census Bureau by way of example. How are they carrying out independent science?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: The Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee is made up of former federal science advisors who have regrouped independently in the wake of the US Census Scientific Advisory Committee being disbanded by the Trump administration. They had their first public meeting in September, where they reconvened and held scientific deliberations to ensure that science could continue to inform the US census. This is a great example of scientists stepping up and taking action.
I feel compelled to add that the editor-in-chief of Science praised this effort, and the broader push led by UCS toward independent science, saying, “This is how the pros do it,” in response to their convening.
AAS: How is UCS working with former federal scientists whom the Trump administration fired and forced out of their positions? What resources can we offer them?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: As a recent federal scientist, it’s heartbreaking to me to see all this amazing talent leaving government. There’s so much work to do, and we really need great scientists in public service. UCS has been working to provide resources for federal scientists—including guides to their rights, and legal networks willing to support them—and also working with them to take action. Right now, their expertise is valuable as we track what’s happening to science and scientists across this administration, and also as we work to reimagine what kinds of roles science should play in public policy in the future.
AAS: On that topic… how do we rebuild the US federal scientific enterprise when Trump is out of office?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: In the future, we will have the opportunity to reimagine what science at the federal level looks like. But we cannot and should not rebuild it the way it was. If you ask any federal employee, they’ll tell you that many processes can be improved.
From being in public service myself, I have my own ideas. There are many thoughtful, visionary people working on this challenge. We can reinvent a federal science enterprise that works better for everyone, is efficient and inclusive, and leverages the incredible amount of talent and potential in our nation to lead globally in science and technology, and to make science-informed policy decisions at every level of government.
AAS: When people think about resisting the Trump administration’s attacks on human rights, the truth, science, and our democracy, they may not think of scientists as being on the front lines. Why are scientists uniquely equipped to meet this moment?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: Science underpins federal decisions in ways that are both seen and unseen. Most people might think about scientific research funded by or conducted in government. But there’s also many activities across government that rely on scientists and science to ensure that we make the best evidence-informed policy decisions, to hold the government accountable to making science-based decisions, and to share scientific truth with the public.
AAS: What can people do to help fight back?
GRETCHEN GOLDMAN: We know from studying and resisting authoritarian regimes in other countries and contexts that it’s critical to have a united front against the democratic backsliding we’re seeing. We need people of all walks of life from everywhere to join us and speak up and act in this moment. The scale of this problem is so massive that we need to do as much as we can with the resources we have to fight back.
UCS is uniquely positioned for this fight. We have experience pushing back against seemingly insurmountable forces from our very foundation, which was fighting the militarization of scientific research. We have a long history of speaking truth to power. And we don’t take government funding, so we’re uniquely positioned to speak and act freely.
Personally, I’m ready for the fight. I live in Washington, DC, where National Guard troops have been senselessly deployed on our streets. I was recently a federal scientist who saw firsthand the effects of the attacks on science from this administration. So, this feels deeply personal to me. I’m uninterested in being quiet.