Trump's war on science leaves US public health experts reeling: They're sidelining science'

"But for science long a key driver of the US's global preeminence it has heralded the perfect storm. In public health, climate science, environmental protection and nuclear safety, seasoned career specialists have been left bewildered and often jobless under a ferocious onslaught from the president, apparently aimed at gaining control over a sector about which he has displayed strongly-held views, if frequently flawed understanding."

"The Trump administration is trying to undermine the scientific method as a basis of making determinations, both in the scientific field and for application to improve public policy, said Paul Josephson, emeritus professor at Colby College in Maine, and a specialist in the history of 20th century science and technology. It is designating which kinds of science are good and which are inappropriate. It's come up with a list of terms that should not be mentioned in scientific articles, or end research that disproportionately [focuses on] women, trans people, black people or people of color."

"Now, experts warn, the US faces a loss of scientific expertise across multiple fronts that could takes decades to restore in a purge that has seen thousands of government scientists fired and billions of dollars slashed from research programs that were previously deemed vital. Some observers compare Trump's offensive to contemporary authoritarian regimes such as Hungary and Russia under Vladimir Putin. One even likens it to the ruthless efforts of Hitler and Stalin to bring scientists to heel in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union."

Donald Trump's second presidency has created a profound crisis for science, undermining fields that contributed to US global leadership. Public health, climate science, environmental protection and nuclear safety have seen seasoned career specialists removed or left bewildered by presidential actions aimed at exerting control over the sector. Thousands of government scientists have been fired and billions of dollars have been cut from previously vital research programs. Observers liken the purge to contemporary authoritarian moves and to historical political efforts to suppress independent science, with Lysenkoism cited as a warning about top-down dogmatic interference in scientific practice.

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