Federal Science and the Public Good Securing the Integrity of Science in Policy making

The report documents an 'epidemic of political interference' in U.S. federal agencies, where political appointees manipulated data, censored scientists, and restructured government rules to prioritize political goals over scientific evidence. It argues that these practices undermine public health, environmental protection, and national security. To remedy this, the Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a five-pronged reform strategy: protecting whistle-blowers, increasing government transparency, reforming the regulatory process to limit White House interference, improving scientific advisory mechanisms, and strengthening environmental monitoring and enforcement.

• The report identifies a widespread pattern of political interference in federal science, including the falsification of data, selective editing of reports to create 'false uncertainty', and the intimidation of scientists who refuse to alter findings.
• The George W. Bush administration utilized the 'unitary executive' theory to centralize power, using signing statements to bypass laws and Executive Order 13422 to expand the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) control over agency regulations and their scientific basis.
• Transparency in federal science was reduced through a 'presumption of secrecy', characterized by the Ashcroft memo which encouraged agencies to withhold information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and an increase in the 'overclassification' of documents.
• The report documents specific instances of scientific manipulation, such as the EPA assuring the public that air at ground zero after 9/11 was safe without actual testing, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) altering testing procedures to downplay lead levels in children's lunch boxes.
• The integrity of scientific advisory panels was compromised through the use of political litmus tests for member selection and the appointment of individuals with significant financial conflicts of interest from regulated industries.
• The report argues that the 'revolving door' between high-level government positions and regulated industries has harmed scientific integrity, citing officials who moved between the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, and climate policy roles.
• The report recommends that the U.S. government reinstate the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to provide Congress with objective, timely scientific advice independent of the executive branch.
• To protect the scientific workforce, the report calls for strengthening whistle-blower protections specifically for scientists who report the alteration or suppression of research.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Federal Science and the Public Good Securing the Integrity of Science in Policy making. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Federal-Science-and-the-Public-Good-12-08-Update.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Federal Science and the Public Good Securing the Integrity of Science in Policy making. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Federal-Science-and-the-Public-Good-12-08-Update.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Federal Science and the Public Good Securing the Integrity of Science in Policy making |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Federal-Science-and-the-Public-Good-12-08-Update.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008federal, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Federal Science and the Public Good Securing the Integrity of Science in Policy making}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Federal-Science-and-the-Public-Good-12-08-Update.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }