Scientist Voices under President Trump

A 2018 survey of US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) scientists reveals significant concerns regarding political interference in science-based decisionmaking, workforce reductions, and the censorship of politically contentious research. Respondents highlighted that political appointees and limited staff capacity are primary barriers to the agency's mission, with many reporting a decline in job satisfaction and office effectiveness.

• FWS scientists report significant workforce reductions and resource constraints that hinder the agency's ability to meet its science-based mission. Specifically, 92 percent of respondents noticed workforce reductions due to retirements, departures, or hiring freezes, and 43 percent identified limited staff capacity as a top barrier to science-based decisions.
• Political influence is perceived as a major obstacle to scientific integrity at the FWS. Approximately 69 percent of respondents viewed the consideration of political interests as a burden to decisionmaking, and 17 percent named the influence of political appointees as the top barrier.
• There is evidence of censorship and the suppression of politically contentious scientific work. Thirty percent of respondents reported being told to omit specific contentious words from work products, and 24 percent said they were told to avoid working on specific topics deemed politically contentious.
• The work environment at the FWS is described as increasingly hostile, with a majority of respondents reporting a decline in both personal job satisfaction and office effectiveness over the past year. Additionally, 53 percent of respondents noticed resources being diverted away from programs viewed as politically contentious.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Scientist Voices under President Trump. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/science-under-trump-fws.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Scientist Voices under President Trump. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/science-under-trump-fws.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Scientist Voices under President Trump |date=August 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/science-under-trump-fws.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018scientist, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Scientist Voices under President Trump}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/science-under-trump-fws.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }