Science and Democracy Under Siege

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Trump administration launched 402 attacks on science between January and June 2025, exceeding the total from his first term. These actions include the layoff of over 120,000 federal employees, the dismantling of science-focused federal advisory committees, and the censorship of environment and climate webpages. The report highlights the suspension of NIH grant reviews and the bypassing of public comment processes to benefit the fossil fuel industry, which disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. The document recommends that Congress pass the Scientific Integrity Act and the EXPERTS Act to protect evidence-based policymaking.

• Between January and June 30, 2025, the Trump administration carried out 402 attacks on science, a number that exceeds the total attacks documented during the president's entire first term.
• The administration has significantly reduced scientific personnel and funding, laying off or targeting more than 120,000 federal employees, including staff at the EPA, Department of Energy, and NOAA. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded 54 percent fewer grants than its previous nine-year average and rescinded 2,958 grants for including terms such as 'Black', 'transgender', or 'bias'.
• Federal agencies have been directed to bypass public comment requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. This has allowed some polluters to request regulatory exemptions directly from the president; 90 percent of these facilities are located within five miles of a school or daycare and are disproportionately situated near lower income communities and communities of color.
• The administration has targeted independent expertise and information access by terminating at least 51 active science-focused federal advisory committees (FACs), representing 27 percent of such committees. Additionally, approximately 847 environment and climate webpages were changed, including the removal of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and EJSCREEN.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2025). Science and Democracy Under Siege. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Science and Democracy Under Siege. 2025. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Science and Democracy Under Siege |date=July 2025 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/6-Months-Trump-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2025science, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, 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-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }