ROADMAP FOR SCIENCE IN DECISIONMAKING

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the US federal government has lacked science leadership since 2017, citing delayed appointments and reduced staffing at the OSTP. To remedy this, the document proposes a series of immediate actions for a new administration, including appointing a nationally respected scientist as OSTP director, restoring federal advisory committees, and establishing interagency working groups to address COVID-19, environmental justice, and scientific integrity. It emphasizes the need for a science-based budget and stronger whistleblower protections to prevent political interference in research.

• The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) experienced a leadership vacuum and staffing decline under the Trump administration, taking two years to appoint a director and maintaining lower staff levels than the Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton administrations.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends that the 2021 president appoint a nationally respected scientist or engineer to the OSTP director position within the first 100 days, ideally selecting an individual from groups underrepresented in STEM.
• To restore scientific capacity, the document proposes the creation of three specific interagency working groups: a Scientific Integrity Working Group to standardize policies, a COVID-19 Working Group to manage pandemic response and vaccine distribution, and an Environmental Justice Working Group to protect studies on marginalized communities.
• The document calls for the rescission of Executive Order 13875, which led to the elimination of many federal advisory committees, and notes that the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) was understaffed and dominated by industry interests as of February 2020.
• Strengthening scientific integrity requires updating the OSTP's 2010 memorandum and implementing stronger whistleblower protections, specifically legislation allowing scientists to appeal retaliation directly to federal courts if the Merit Systems Protection Board fails to act within 90 days.
• The OSTP is urged to address the impact of systemic racism on scientific progress and to prioritize communication with underserved communities, such as low-income communities and communities of color, who are disproportionately affected by science-based decisions.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2020). ROADMAP FOR SCIENCE IN DECISIONMAKING. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/strengthening-science-and-si-at-ostp.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. ROADMAP FOR SCIENCE IN DECISIONMAKING. 2020. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/strengthening-science-and-si-at-ostp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=ROADMAP FOR SCIENCE IN DECISIONMAKING |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/strengthening-science-and-si-at-ostp.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2020roadmap, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{ROADMAP FOR SCIENCE IN DECISIONMAKING}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/strengthening-science-and-si-at-ostp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }