January update: He’s back.
He’s Back
Donald Trump is back. While there are already differences from his first term, there are also similarities to his earlier (disastrous) go-round. We know this terrain well: in the first Trump administration, we documented – and pushed back on – attempts to interfere with science in the Silencing Science Tracker, which we co-run with Columbia’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. And this time, we are more prepared.
Reducing the federal scientific workforce
Most notably, President-elect Trump has made clear that he wants to resume his efforts to remove federal scientists. He has already issued orders to make it easier to fire high-performing federal employees, along with other attempts to drain talent. His first administration sought to induce scientists to quit via relocations, reassignments, and budget cuts, and he has already started this process again in even more drastic fashion.
Censorship
The first Trump administration made sweeping efforts to censor federal science via canceling programs, burying studies, and deleting websites – and preventing scientists from communicating with the press, Congress, the general public, and even other scientists. The current administration is already at it again, attempting to freeze all federal grants, including those underpinning critical scientific work; suspending all travel by National Institutes of Health employees, including to clinical trial sites; and pausing all external communications by Health and Human Services employees, including the release of scientific reports and public health advisories.
Misrepresentation and manipulation
In addition, it seems certain that we will again experience misrepresentation and manipulation of established scientific facts. In just the past few weeks, President Trump made baseless claims about the California wildfires and vaccine safety.
The positive side (yes, there is a positive side!)
The potential for further damage to federal science cannot be overstated, but there are still pieces of positive news. The Biden administration, while certainly not perfect, undertook important reforms – for example, with federal scientific integrity policies and additional protections for federal civil service workers.
Of course, President Trump has already moved to undo many of these but, ironically, recent Supreme Court decisions mean that it will likely be easier than ever to overturn future Trump administration actions. Already, the first Trump administration was – ultimately – historically unsuccessful in litigation.
And while the incoming administration may be, at least in theory, more prepared, federal scientists are also more prepared to fight back – as are we. For starters, CSLDF recently reorganized our governing documents to allow us to take on an even broader array of legal cases in court. We’re also expanding our legal team, adding more educational resources, and making even more frequent updates to the Silencing Science Tracker.
This additional work is possible because of our supporters, including our many new donors, whose generosity powers our work protecting scientists. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Please note that things are moving very quickly and may have changed by the time you read this newsletter.
News & Updates
Defending climate science & scientists under fire | Jeff’s Climate Classroom
January 20, 2025 | News Channel 8
CSLDF Executive Director Lauren Kurtz spoke with meteorologist Jeff Berardelli about how more and more climate scientists have found themselves targeted as the impacts of manmade climate change continue to worsen and climate science itself has matured into a credible discipline.
Trump Targeted Scientists in His First Term. This Time, They’re Prepared.
January 20, 2025 | The New York Times
“Compared to the first Trump administration, government scientists are now more comfortable coming to us and using our legal assistance, taking legal action,” said Lauren Kurtz, executive director of [CSLDF]. “They are less afraid of rocking the boat.”
December 25, 2024 | El Diario
As of July 2024, the [Silencing Science] tracker has recorded 531 cases of censorship, suppression of information, misrepresentation of scientific facts, and other political or administrative actions against science in the United States, a record that will in all likelihood grow exponentially.
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