The article discusses the Trump administration’s ongoing political interference in scientific integrity, revealing a pattern of undermining true science while co-opting scientific language to further political aims. Notably, there have been 66 identified attacks on scientific integrity since the start of Trump’s presidency, totaling 418 potential threats to scientific processes.
An Executive Order (EO) recently signed by Trump aims to weaken established scientific integrity policies across federal agencies, suggesting a shift back to pre-existing policies that promote political oversight rather than independent scientific inquiry. It emphasizes the importance of principles like transparency and peer-review but neglects the vital aspect of scientific independence, creating a framework where political appointees can exert control over scientific integrity.
The article also mentions the Department of Health and Human Services’ questionable reports, such as the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, which include numerous methodological flaws and conflict of interest issues, undermining its credibility.
Ultimately, the piece argues for the need to protect independent science as critical to public health and national security, and it encourages the public to advocate for the Scientific Integrity Act to safeguard federal scientific work from political interference. Resources are provided for those interested in supporting this cause.
