THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN THE TRUMP ERA

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Trump administration sidelined science in public health and environmental decision-making through executive orders and restrictive EPA rules. Key actions include requiring a two-for-one rule repeal, slashing the social cost of carbon, and restricting the use of scientific studies with non-public raw data. The document recommends that Congress investigate these threats, codify agency deference on science-based laws, and increase transparency within the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

• The Trump administration implemented executive orders that restricted the creation of new regulations and established task forces with limited transparency. Executive Order 13771 required agencies to repeal two rules for every new rule proposed and set a zero-dollar budget for the total incremental cost of new regulations in 2017. Executive Order 13777 created regulatory reform task forces often staffed by political appointees with potential conflicts of interest.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed changes to cost-benefit analyses that would exclude co-benefits and significantly reduce the social cost of carbon from $36 per ton to $5 per ton.
• The EPA and Department of Interior (DOI) introduced measures to restrict the types of scientific evidence used in policy making. The EPA's 'Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science' rule would limit the agency to studies where raw data and models are public, which would exclude many public health studies relying on private medical data. The DOI's 'Promoting Open Science' order implements similar restrictions that impede the use of the best available science.
• The Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is accused of rushing the review of the EPA’s transparency rule in a few days and altering the rule's scientific basis, which the document states is outside OIRA's mandate.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2019). THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN THE TRUMP ERA. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/01/regulatory-reform-trump-2year-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN THE TRUMP ERA. 2019. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/01/regulatory-reform-trump-2year-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN THE TRUMP ERA |date=January 2019 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/01/regulatory-reform-trump-2year-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2019state, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN THE TRUMP ERA}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/01/regulatory-reform-trump-2year-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }