Science under President Trump

The report finds that the Trump administration has undermined science-based policymaking through workforce reductions, political interference, and censorship, particularly regarding climate change. While some agencies like the FDA and NOAA fared better, others, specifically the EPA, experienced significant declines in morale and effectiveness.

• A significant portion of federal scientists report workforce reductions that hinder the ability of agencies to fulfill their science-based missions. Across all surveyed agencies, 79 percent of respondents reported reductions due to hiring freezes, retirements, or staff departures, and 87 percent of those who noticed reductions stated they made it more difficult to fulfill agency missions.
• Political interference from the White House and political appointees is viewed as a major barrier to science-based decisionmaking. Half of all respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the consideration of political interests hindered science-based decisions, with the highest agreement at the EPA (81 percent), National Park Service (76 percent), and US Fish and Wildlife Service (69 percent).
• There is evidence of widespread censorship and self-censorship, particularly concerning climate change. At agencies working on climate change, 18 percent of respondents reported being asked to omit the phrase "climate change" from their work, while 20 percent reported avoiding the phrase or the topic without explicit orders to do so.
• Employee morale and job satisfaction have declined significantly at several agencies, often linked to perceptions of poor leadership. The EPA reported the lowest morale, with twice as many respondents rating it as poor or extremely poor in 2018 compared to 2007. Conversely, the FDA reported higher morale and a more positive view of its leadership.
• While most federal scientists believe their agencies adhere to established scientific integrity policies, there is a lack of trust in the reporting process. Although 64 percent of respondents agreed their agencies adhered to these policies, only 42 percent said they would be willing to report a scientific integrity issue and trust the agency to handle it fairly.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Science under President Trump. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/08/science-under-trump-report.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Science under President Trump. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/08/science-under-trump-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Science under President Trump |date=August 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/08/science-under-trump-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018science, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Science under President Trump}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/08/science-under-trump-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }