Abandoning Science Advice

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) analyzed 73 science advisory committees across 24 federal agencies to determine if the Trump administration neglected scientific advice. The findings indicate a systematic pattern of sidelining science, characterized by a 20 percent decrease in committee meetings and a 14 percent drop in membership from 2016 to 2017. The report highlights specific actions at the EPA, DOI, and DOE that reduced the quality and quantity of independent scientific input, often replacing academic experts with industry representatives.

• The Trump administration significantly under-filled top scientific government positions compared to its predecessors; as of December 31, 2017, only 20 of 83 designated "scientist appointees" posts were filled, whereas President Obama had filled 63 and President George W. Bush had filled 51 at similar points in their terms.
• Across 24 analyzed agencies, the number of science advisory committee meetings fell by 20 percent and membership decreased by 14 percent between 2016 and 2017, a sharper decline than seen during the transition years of the Obama or G.W. Bush administrations.
• A majority of the analyzed science advisory committees failed to meet the frequency required by their official charters in 2017, with 62 percent of the 73 committees falling short. This was particularly evident at the FDA (71 percent), EPA (70 percent), and DOI (67 percent).
• The EPA shifted the composition of its advisory boards to favor industry over academia by banning experts who receive agency grants from serving on committees and not renewing the terms of qualified vetted individuals.
• The Department of the Interior (DOI) froze membership on over 200 advisory committees in May 2017 and subsequently disbanded the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science.
• The Department of Energy (DOE) failed to reconstitute the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), a flagship committee used by nearly every previous secretary for three decades.
• The Department of Commerce disbanded the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment in August 2017 by failing to renew its charter, potentially hindering the utility of future National Climate Assessments.

APA

Anair, D., & Mahmassani, A. (2018). Abandoning Science Advice. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-full-report.pdf

Chicago

Anair, Don, and Amine Mahmassani. Abandoning Science Advice. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-full-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Anair |first1=Don |last2=Mahmassani |first2=Amine |title=Abandoning Science Advice |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=January 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-full-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{anair2018abandoning, author = {Anair, Don and Mahmassani, Amine}, title = {{Abandoning Science Advice}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-full-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }