Science and Democracy

The partnership between science and democracy has played a huge role in U.S. history. But misinformation and attacks on science have strained that partnership. UCS science and democracy experts keep you informed on the latest developments, from Capitol Hill to local communities.


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Latest Science and Democracy Posts

Photo: Chris Quintana/CC BY-NC-SA (Flickr)

Attacks on Public Health and Safety that the Scientific Integrity Act Could Have Prevented

, Research scientist

July 15, 2019 5:39 PM EDT

In March, Senator Schatz (D-HI) and Representative Tonko (D-NY) introduced the Scientific Integrity Act (hereafter referred to as the “SI Act”). The legislation is a step forward to protecting federal agency scientists and their work from political interference.

Attacks on science come from both sides of the political aisle and have for many years. If enacted, this legislation could prevent future attacks on science and protect the health and safety of people across America who depend on science-informed policies. Read more >

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Photo: Cory Doctorow/Flickr

Drilling Down on the Attempted Takedown of the Government’s Advisory Committees

, Lead science and policy analyst

July 15, 2019 4:00 PM EDT

The House Science committee will be holding a hearing tomorrow to talk about the status of the government’s advisory committees, which is extremely timely considering the Trump administration is attempting to get rid of them altogether.

Read more >

Photo: Cory Doctorow/Flickr
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Photo: Mike Olliver/UCS

Groups Urge Support of Scientific Integrity Act as Congressional Hearing Looms

, Deputy director, Center for Science & Democracy

July 15, 2019 2:44 PM EDT

On the eve of a congressional hearing about preventing attacks on science, more than 60 organizations sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to co-sponsor and advance the Scientific Integrity Act. I’ve written previously about how the legislation would empower federal agency scientists to speak publicly about their work and protect federal science in policy decisions from inappropriate political influence and interference. What’s exciting to me isn’t the number of groups, but the diversity of interests that they represent.  Read more >

Photo: Mike Olliver/UCS
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Trumpery, Codswallop, and this Administration’s Real Environmental Record

, director, Center for Science & Democracy

July 15, 2019 12:25 PM EDT

Earlier this month President Trump, surrounded by multiple Cabinet members, presented his administration’s environmental “accomplishments” in a speech to the nation. As noted by many fact-checkers, the president and his Cabinet made statements that were a series of half-truths, cherry-picked data, and outright fabrications.

One of my favorite words is “codswallop,” meaning nonsense. And a great synonym for codswallop is “trumpery.” I couldn’t have coined a better word myself to describe this ludicrous series of statements. Read more >

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EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signs the so-called Affordable Clean Energy rule, replacing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan that would have reduced coal-fired plant carbon emissions. Photo: EPA

10 Ways Andrew Wheeler Has Decimated EPA Protections in Just One Year

, senior writer

July 15, 2019 9:30 AM EDT

If Wheeler truly cared about transparency, he would petition the Trump administration to change the name of his agency to “Every Polluter’s Ally.” Read more >

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