Biden's Legacy on Scientific Integrity

The historic presidential memorandum that strengthened scientific integrity across the federal government. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/memorandum-on-restoring-trust-in-government-through-scientific-integrity-and-evidence-based-policymaking/

By now, I assume that the majority of SciLight readers have heard the news—Joe Biden has stepped aside as the Democratic candidate in this year’s presidential election. While not official, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to run as the Democratic presidential candidate. There are now several stories out that have dived into the VP’s views on science-based issues - something SciLight will tackle soon.

While much of the news is fixated on Kamala Harris, we at SciLight want to take a minute to remember and acknowledge the amazing work the Biden administration did for scientific integrity.

Biden Moved Quickly on SI

Remember when the COVID-19 pandemic began?

“I don’t want to get sick but we need groceries.” “What about your dragon mask from last Halloween?” “O! That’ll totally work.” See a lot of other crazy outfits folks wore to grocery shop during the pandemic here: https://kathrynwarmstrong.wordpress.com/tag/photos-of-crazy-outfits-people-are-wearing-to-shop-during-the-covid-pandemic/

Most of us had no idea what to do. Scarier, the former Trump administration also had no idea. But, as the science of COVID-19 began to come to light, the Trump administration sidelined it in favor of politics.

The administration’s politicization of COVID-19 science was one of the biggest reasons that the Trump administration’s response was a colossal failure. Multiple studies now show that areas that bought into the administration’s politicization of science (e.g., masks aren’t needed) had higher death rates due to the virus.

The politicization of science literally kills people. Many of my former colleagues and I have been saying this for years. But it can also be quite difficult to prove unless you have something like a pandemic. Now, let me make this clear, it’s not like I was a scientist sitting in a laboratory grasping my hands, saying, “If only I had a pandemic…” Rather, my colleagues and I would often say, “I hope nothing major like a pandemic happens under this administration.” Alas.

I say all this to provide the context of what the Biden administration stepped into when they took over our federal government. Vaccinations had not been distributed, many people were out of work, and people were still dying from the virus - the politicization and sidelining of COVID-19 science had to stop. Americans needed to be able to trust government science again.

So, on January 27th, 2021 President Biden signed a Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking. This memorandum was one of the very first executive decisions that the Biden administration took. What this signaled was that the Biden administration fully understood what prior administrations had not fully grasped - strong scientific integrity across the federal government is a safeguard for the American people that was sorely needed.

The Memorandum Made SI History

The Biden administration not only quickly released a process to strengthen scientific integrity across the federal government but also created a memorandum that would result in historical rights and protections for federal scientists and their work. As someone who had studied scientific integrity for years, I never expected that the Biden administration would have prioritized scientific integrity as they did. The memorandum was truly amazing.

Here is a list of some of the unprecedented moves the Biden administration made on scientific integrity.

• Elevated the president’s science adviser to a cabinet-level position

• Formed a task force on scientific integrity

• Developed a government-wide review of scientific integrity policies - a report that identified weaknesses and strengths of scientific integrity across agencies.

• Required every federal agency to update or develop a scientific integrity policy

• Required every federal agency to hire or assign a staffer to fulfill the role of scientific integrity officer

• Developed a comprehensive scientific integrity framework that guides agencies on what a strong scientific integrity policy looks like

Under the direction of the White House, federal agencies are now releasing updated or newly developed scientific integrity policies that are far stronger than before. Many of these policies give scientists new rights that they didn’t have previously at many agencies—like the ability for scientists to speak freely to the media about their work or the right of scientists to submit a differing opinion on a science-based decision. The energy for strong scientific integrity has also led to a federal worker union incorporating scientific integrity into their bargaining agreement.

While prior administrations have tackled scientific integrity, none have done so as extensively as the Biden administration. These significant changes will go down in history as some of the strongest protections for our nation’s scientists and their work. The Biden administration's work will help ensure that government decisions informed by science best protect our health and safety.

Joe Biden may be stepping to the side, but his legacy on science remains. We owe a huge amount of gratitude to President Biden for making the space to strengthen scientific integrity, and I think even more gratitude to the career servants who worked day and night to implement the president’s memorandum. If anyone is reading this who played a role in these historic steps to strengthen scientific integrity, I want to say “thank you.” Our lives are all the better for our public servants’ work.

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