US science agencies have released plans to implement 'gold-standard science' policies focused on goals such as data accessibility and reproducibility. Several plans place political appointees in charge of implementing policies and overseeing research-integrity reporting that were previously handled by career civil-servant scientists. The changes respond to White House executive orders directing political control over science funding and integrity decisions. The provisions could affect the work of nearly 300,000 federal scientists and almost US$200 billion in government-funded research. Some researchers and science-policy specialists warn that the policies leave room for political interference and could be used to justify funding cuts and undermine public trust.
The new policies are the agencies' first response to two White House executive orders that directed agencies to put political appointees in charge of decisions about science funding and integrity. The policies could shape the work of the nearly 300,000 scientists and engineerswho work for federal agencies and the almost US$200 billion of science funded by the US government.
The US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA), for instance, would put a Trump-appointed official in charge of implementing the new policies, including protocols for reporting research-integrity violations. In the past, responsibility for such tasks at federal agencies was generally held by career civil servants, who were often scientists hired for their expertise.
The most recent executive order, issued 7 August, claimed science grants went to scientists who "promoted Marxism, class warfare propaganda, and other anti-American ideologies". "The overall strategy is attacking scientific findings in order to diminish the public's trust," says David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington University in Washington DC who held public-health positions under previous administrations.
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