What Can I do to Defend Federal Science?
As expected, we saw an assault on science during the first week of the Trump administration. Scientific communication was paused, scientists were prevented from traveling to conferences or giving presentations, diversity equity inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs were cut, Inspectors General were fired, and grant review and scientific advisory committees were canceled. For the first time in decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) failed to release the agency’s weekly publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The publication provides scientists and the public with data and recommendations received by CDC from state health departments. The Trump administration also pulled the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement, which scientific experts say will be devastating for the health of the public and our environment.
Here at SciLight, we are working as much as we possibly can to bring you information about these attacks on science. It is our hope that this is vital information to understanding what is happening and why these attacks on science should matter to us all.
Being informed is great, but can you do more to defend federal science? Several SciLight members have written to ask this question. The answer is yes!
Five things you can do to help defend federal science
1. Support federal scientists
After Trump won the November election, I asked several federal scientists what folks can do to help the federal science enterprise?” The overwhelming answer was to show support. The federal scientists I spoke with said your support in validating their work is worth more than you know. We must stand together and show the world the benefits these public servants bring us all. It’s such a small task, but it makes a big difference – make sure you thank your federal scientists. And make sure to highlight their important work in your community! If people in your town, your state, and your congressional district know about and start speaking out about the bad things happening, that puts political pressure on Congress and the administration. Remember – we are all constituents of elected officials. They are supposed to work for us! If federal science and scientists are undermined, it hurts every single person in this country and spills over to other countries as well.
2. Use your expertise
Many of SciLight’s readers are scientific experts. Utilizing your scientific expertise will be crucial in the fight against the administration’s attacks on science. This is especially true since it seems many of the administration’s political appointees are likely to embrace fringe scientific views (e.g., childhood vaccines are linked to autism).
While the administration would likely love to carry out its assault on science full stop, our government’s systems, structures, processes, and checks and balances will make that difficult. For example, federal agencies have scientific integrity policies that can be utilized to call for investigations into political interference in federal science processes. SciLight is carefully monitoring attacks on science that would rise to scientific integrity violations, and we are prepared to submit violations to agency scientific integrity officers when they happen. Other individuals and organizations can do the same.
As agencies begin their work on rulemaking, scientists should use their expertise to weigh in through writing technical public comments and providing testimony at public hearings. No matter how high-handed this administration is, they still must abide by the law and make rules and regulations through a legal process that includes the opportunity for the public to comment. Even if the administration ignores these comments, they are an important tool for court cases that will inevitably follow the issuance of a rule or deregulation.
Scientists can also continue their research to add to the best available scientific knowledge to inform policy decisions. We need to be able to show how the weight of the evidence differs from fringe scientific views.
Write opinion editorials or letters to the editor in your local papers. Or reach out to us and write for SciLight as a guest contributor! We need scientists to communicate to the public what the scientific evidence shows us on a broad array of issues. It’s never too late to do this – in fact, research shows that one of the best ways to inoculate people from disinformation is to provide them with accurate information ASAP!
If they’re still around and you have the appropriate expertise – serve on a federal advisory committee. Federal agencies rely on federal advisory committees to help them make key policy decisions.
3. Call your Members of Congress
People often think that calling members of Congress has no impact, but it absolutely does. Remember, you are a constituent with voting power – and your congressional representatives care a lot about that. If an attack on science is happening and it will impact your and your community’s well-being, call your members of Congress and let them know they need to exercise their oversight authority.
4. Support independent media and public interest organizations
As we wrote last week, we are in an information crisis. Billionaires, most of whom are cozied up to Trump, now own many of our traditional and modern media sources, including newspapers, news networks, and social media. These information sources have begun to censor critical information about the Trump administration.
The only way to fight against this is to support independent media. At SciLight, we do not take any money from millionaires or billionaires – our only funding comes from you. So, you can fully trust that what you’re paying for is our best effort to get you the best information on science policy and scientific integrity.
There are many other independent media outlets, including local community reporters, trying to push back against the political tide of disinformation. Support them! Reach out to their reporters. Help them access good science!
There are non-profit groups fighting back in court and in Congress. Offer your help and expertise. This is NOT just in Washington. Local action is just as important!
5. Don’t lose hope
The last eight years have been challenging, and it’s hard to imagine four more years of even more vigorous fighting. But to ensure that we protect science and those who depend on it, especially the most underserved communities in our nation, we must use our privilege and do what we can.
Our decentralized government was built to withstand an authoritarian regime. The three branches of government, state and local governments, and our policy processes will help stave off the worst attacks from the Trump administration. We won’t win every fight, but if the past is prologue, we’ll win a reasonable amount.
Keep in the fight, take care of yourselves, take breaks from the news, take comfort in family and friends, and do whatever you can to bring a smile to your face. Because, while the first week was rough, there are rougher weeks ahead. But here at SciLight, we’re committed to being in this fight with you.
That’s it for today - Thank you so much for reading SciLight!
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