Science is at the core of a healthy democracy. But for years, presidential administrations have, in differing ways, sidelined scientific evidence and attacked scientific integrity.
Due to the large number of attacks on science we’re seeing from the second Trump administration, we are currently providing regular summaries of documented attacks.
- A Backward March: Another Month of Attacks on Federal Science (April 2, 2025)
- A Hundred Attacks and Counting: What Happened to Federal Science in February (March 12, 2025)
- How Science Has Fared in the First Two Weeks of the New Trump Administration (January 30, 2025)
Below is the list of documented attacks on science that occurred under the four previous administrations. They include disappearing data, silenced scientists, suppressed studies, and other assaults on science-based policy. More information on these attacks can be found in our peer-reviewed study and in our data repository.
Attacks on science
EPA Air Pollution Decision Threatens Public Health
Disregarding and misrepresenting recommendations from their own scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized new air pollution emissions standards that do not sufficiently protect public health.
Hushing Up the Health Hazards of Climate Change
White House officials heavily censored the Congressional testimony of Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control, describing the hazardous effects of climate change on public health.
Mining Agency Buries Streams and Science
The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) proposed to eliminate a key rule that protects Appalachian streams and communities from a coal-mining technique known as mountaintop removal mining.
Federal Agency Doesn't Give a Hoot about Owls
Fish and Wildlife Service officials and the other federal land agencies intervened in the recovery plan for the northern spotted owl, compromising the science-based protections in order to reduce barriers to logging in old-growth forests.
White House Sidelines Science in Regulating Ozone
The GW Bush White House overruled unanimous advice of its scientific advisors to weaken the EPA’s proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone—an air pollutant associated with respiratory ailments and premature death.
Agencies Pressured Not to Warn Mechanics about Asbestos
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) threatened an agency scientist with suspension after he refused to include industry-funded science downplaying the dangers of asbestos in a safety warning for auto mechanics.
Federal Agency Fails to Protect Children from Lead Lunches
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission twice altered their scientific testing procedure before concluding that children’s lunch boxes containing levels of lead that exceeded Federal recommendations were in fact safe.
Designated Spokesperson Required for Polar Bear Travels
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service email directive instructs its Alaskan employees who request travel not to discuss polar bears, sea ice, or climate change unless they are explicitly authorized to do so.
Manipulation of Global Warming Science
The George W. Bush administration has sought to undermine the view that human-caused emissions are making a discernible contribution to global warming.
Industry Pressure Trumps Sound Science in Pesticide Regulation
Unions representing 9,000 EPA scientists and professional staff said the EPA has taken more care to cooperate with the agriculture industry than to ensure the health of children and vulnerable Americans in a letter to the EPA.
Related resources
Report
Advancing the Scientific Integrity Act
Scientific Integrity Act Policy Brief
Activist Resource
Scientific Societies Call on Congress to Save Science
This open letter, signed by more than 40 prominent scientific societies and organizations, was delivered to Congress in March 2025.
Activist Resource
Cumulative Impacts: Recommendations for EPA
To improve environmental health, UCS prepared eight fact sheets summarizing the recommendations of the NEJAC Cumulative Impacts Workgroup to the EPA.
Activist Resource
Resources for Federal Scientists
Are you a federal scientist, contractor, or federal worker? Here are resources to have on hand during the Trump administration.