Protecting Government Science from Political Interference

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) evaluated 38 federal agencies on their adherence to scientific integrity metrics, finding that 71% scored 'poor' or 'worst'. The report argues that political interference in science disproportionately harms underserved communities and proposes a blueprint for the next presidential administration to strengthen scientific integrity through better policy enforcement, transparency, and the integration of environmental justice principles.

• An analysis of 38 federal agencies that had previously experienced attacks on science revealed that 71 percent (27 agencies) received overall scores of 'poor' or 'worst' regarding their implementation of scientific integrity protections.
• Compliance with the requirement to publish updated scientific integrity policies is low; 28 of the 38 examined agencies failed to do so, with some hosting policies dating back to 2011 and 2012.
• Most agencies failed to publicly designate a scientific integrity official or provide contact information; 24 of 38 agencies did not name an official, and 16 failed to provide any way to contact one.
• Transparency regarding investigations into scientific integrity violations is severely lacking, with 26 of 38 agencies failing to publish annual reports on the number and outcomes of such investigations.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) achieved the highest overall score, being the only agency to score in the 'best' category across all three evaluated metrics.
• Public engagement in the policy-strengthening process was minimal; only five federal agencies out of over 400 released draft scientific integrity policies for public comment by the July 2023 deadline.
• Political interference in science often results in disproportionately worse environmental and public health outcomes for underserved communities, including Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), low-income, and rural communities.
• The report documents a historical pattern of scientific interference across different administrations, noting 326 attacks on science across four presidential administrations, with 63 percent (207) occurring during the Trump administration.

APA

Desikan, A. (2024). Protecting Government Science from Political Interference. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Protecting-Government-Science-from-Political-Interference_Full-Report.pdf

Chicago

Desikan, Anita. Protecting Government Science from Political Interference. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2024. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Protecting-Government-Science-from-Political-Interference_Full-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Desikan |first1=Anita |title=Protecting Government Science from Political Interference |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=September 2024 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Protecting-Government-Science-from-Political-Interference_Full-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desikan2024protecting, author = {Desikan, Anita}, title = {{Protecting Government Science from Political Interference}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Protecting-Government-Science-from-Political-Interference_Full-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }