The start of President Donald Trump’s second term has been marked by research funding cuts, dismissals of federal scientists and other “attacks on science” at a rate far exceeding that of his first term, the Union of Concerned Scientists said in a report released Monday.
“Altogether, the administration’s actions have undermined the use of government science for public good,” the liberal-leaning research and advocacy group said in listing more than 400 such attacks in the period between Trump’s inauguration in late January and last month.
That total is almost double the number documented for all of Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, the report said.
While acknowledging that the two sets of figures aren’t directly comparable because of differences in how they were compiled, the updated approach “captures a more comprehensive picture of the administration’s actions to dismantle federal science,” Darya Minovi, a UCS research analyst and the lead author, added in a blog post.
