Surveying the US Department of Agriculture Scientist Voices under President Biden

A survey of USDA scientists indicates a generally strong culture of scientific integrity, with 207 out of 238 respondents agreeing the agency adhered to its scientific integrity policy. While 160 out of 258 scientists felt they could express concerns without fear of retaliation, 147 out of 245 reported scientific workforce reductions over the previous two years. Political interference persists, with 38 out of 256 scientists reporting they were asked to omit politically contentious words from their work, though this is a decrease from 67 out of 291 during the Trump administration. Respondents noted that the Biden administration has reinforced commitments to science-based processes for addressing climate change, allowing the use of the term 'climate change' without fear.

• A majority of surveyed USDA scientists perceive a strong culture of scientific integrity, with 207 out of 238 respondents stating the agency adhered to its scientific integrity policy and 160 out of 258 reporting they can express concerns about agency work without fear of retaliation.
• Political interference in the form of censorship continues, although it has decreased since the Trump administration; 38 out of 256 USDA scientists reported being asked to omit politically contentious words from their work, compared to 67 out of 291 in the previous administration.
• Workforce reductions are a significant concern, with 147 out of 245 USDA scientists reporting such reductions in the past two years, which respondents indicated affected their ability to fulfill the agency's mission.
• The Biden administration is credited with supporting science-based processes to address climate change, providing scientists with the confidence to use the term 'climate change' in their work without fear.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2023). Surveying the US Department of Agriculture Scientist Voices under President Biden. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/fed%20sci%20survey%202023_USDA_final.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Surveying the US Department of Agriculture Scientist Voices under President Biden. 2023. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/fed%20sci%20survey%202023_USDA_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Surveying the US Department of Agriculture Scientist Voices under President Biden |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/fed%20sci%20survey%202023_USDA_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2023surveying, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Surveying the US Department of Agriculture Scientist Voices under President Biden}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/fed%20sci%20survey%202023_USDA_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }