Science and Democracy Under Siege

The report details the methodological framework for identifying 'attacks on science' (AOS), defined as actions by elected officials or political appointees that result in the censoring, manipulation, or misinforming of scientific data. It describes the use of human coding for news articles, analysis of federal funding data from USASpending.gov, and tracking of federal advisory committee terminations. The methodology specifically addresses the tracking of federal workforce cuts, the impact of Clean Air Act exemptions on overburdened communities using spatial buffers, and the monitoring of federal environmental webpages via the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI).

• The Union of Concerned Scientists defines an 'attack on science' (AOS) as any action, statement, or decision from a federal elected official or political appointee that leads to the censoring, manipulation, forging, or misinforming of scientific data, results, or conclusions produced by the government or with federal funds.
• As of June 30, 2025, the researchers identified 402 attacks on science, though only 119 had been fully categorized through human coding by that date.
• The methodology for the second Trump administration expanded the definition of AOS to include publicly communicated threats before policy decisions occur, the assumption that actions by political appointees are politically motivated, and the misuse or absence of science in federally funded academic and medical institutions, such as those receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds.
• The administration targeted environmental justice staff, specifically putting leadership and staff in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights on administrative leave, with formal termination notifications issued on April 30 and an effective date of July 31, 2025.
• The researchers identified 51 Scientific Technical Program Advisory Boards (FACs) terminated since January 20, 2025, out of a set of 188 active FACs at the start of the term.
• To assess the impact of Clean Air Act Section 112 compliance exemptions, the study analyzed 532 facilities and used five-mile spatial buffers to intersect facility locations with census block group data on low-income populations, non-White populations, and English language proficiency.

APA

Minovi, D., Ellickson, K., Barbati-Dajches, J., & Cleetus, R. (2025). Science and Democracy Under Siege. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-methodology.pdf

Chicago

Minovi, Darya, Kristie Ellickson, Jules Barbati-Dajches, and Rachel Cleetus. Science and Democracy Under Siege. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2025. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-methodology.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Minovi |first1=Darya |last2=Ellickson |first2=Kristie |last3=Barbati-Dajches |first3=Jules |last4=Cleetus |first4=Rachel |title=Science and Democracy Under Siege |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=July 2025 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-methodology.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{minovi2025science, author = {Minovi, Darya and Ellickson, Kristie and Barbati-Dajches, Jules and Cleetus, Rachel}, title = {{Science and Democracy Under Siege}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-methodology.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }