Update. "The National Archives is nonpartisan but has found itself targeted by Trump."
https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-archives-firings-layoffs-historical-recordkeeping-559027fdd2f634263bea7774a78d66fe

"The president didn’t give a public reason for firing archivist Colleen Shogan, but he has long held a grudge against the agency for notifying the Justice Department of his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left office following his first term…A Trump-aligned archivist might also be less inclined to enforce the Presidential Records Act or ask questions if Trump leaves office with troves of classified documents, said Norm Eisen, executive chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #NARA #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

National Archives targeted by Trump with firings and layoffs

As President Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government with astonishing speed, he has wreaked havoc on one agency long known for its nonpartisanship and revered for its mission: the National Archives and Records Administration. The independent agency and its trove of historic records have been the subject of Hollywood films and the foundation of research and policy. The agency also holds responsibilities in processes crucial for democracy, from amending the Constitution to electing a president. Former employees of the agency now worry it’s becoming politicized. The Republican president abruptly fired the head archivist this month, and several senior staffers quit or retired soon after.

AP News

Update. "Will They Come for PubMed Next?"
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/114383

"PubMed is the backbone of biomedical research in the U.S. That's not an exaggeration…However, there are reasons to be extremely concerned about its continued existence…There are [at least five] ways the administration could interfere with PubMed."

PS: Although the author mixes up #PubMed and #PubMedCentral, her concerns apply to both.

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Opinion | Will They Come for PubMed Next?

Here's what we lose if the administration takes away this invaluable resource

Update. "The Rise (and Fall?) of the National Science Foundation"
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-national-science-foundation
(#paywalled)

"The #Trump administration’s assault on the #NSF represents precisely the kind of political interference [#VannevarBush] sought to prevent — one that threatens not only scientific progress but also the very foundation of academic freedom."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "Déclaration visant à défendre la recherche contre la censure du gouvernement américain"
https://www.redactionmedicale.fr/2025/02/declaration-visant-a-defendre-la-recherche-contre-la-censure-du-gouvernement-americain

Thanks to Herve Maisonneuve for his French translation of the key recommendations of the Feb 13 Declaration To Defend Research Against U.S. Government Censorship. He adds this good conclusion: "We are free to consider that these initiatives are useless… but [signing them] allows us to support colleagues who cannot express themselves in public."

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Déclaration visant à défendre la recherche contre la censure du gouvernement américain | Rédaction Médicale et Scientifique

Point n'est besoin d'expliquer ce qui se passe aux USA depuis l'arrivée au pouvoir de Donald Trump dans le domaine de la recherche et de la santé. Des organisations sont démantelées, des fonctionnaires licenciés, des aides humanitaires internationales bloquées... quitte à laisser pourrir de la nourriture.. Le silence n'est pas…

Rédaction Médicale et Scientifique

Update. Thanks to @georgetown for making this public statement.
https://president.georgetown.edu/messages/what-we-stand-for-feb-2025/

"I know that the rapidly evolving external environment is unsettling to many in the community. Some of us have received directives to stop our research activities; some of our students have had job offerings rescinded; some have read repeated external communications that question the value of their work…We promote scholarship freely based on inquiring minds…We do not conduct these activities alongside our mission; they are the essence of our mission…Be assured that we are actively tracking all developments as they occur, assessing whether they affect our mission’s work, quickly partnering with those community members affected, and supporting them as they navigate change."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Who We Are and What We Stand For - Office of the President

I know that the rapidly evolving external environment is unsettling to many in the community. Some of us have received directives to stop our research activities; some of our students have had job offerings rescinded; some have read repeated external communications that question the value of their work.

Office of the President

Update. A new editorial in Nature: "Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00562-w

"How, then, should those of us who are part of the global enterprise of education, health, science and engineering respond? One priority must be to denounce these actions, to shout about their negative effects, to support researchers and to defend their ability to work and study without fear for their jobs. Understandably, those working at — or even leading — federal agencies might feel that they cannot speak up, but researchers at other organizations, such as universities, scientific societies, businesses, labour unions and campaign groups have more freedom, and must exercise it by showing support for affected colleagues."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere

US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.

Update. Reminder from #Trump's first term (2017): Trump’s budget director pick: “Do we really need government-funded research at all”
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/12/21/14012552/trump-budget-director-research-science-mulvaney

"President Donald #Trump recently picked Rep. Mick #Mulvaney…to head the White House’s Office of Management and Budget [#OMB]…In a stunning September 9 Facebook post (that’s since been deleted but is still cached), Mulvaney asked, '... what might be the best question: do we really need government funded research at all.'"

#DefendResearch #Funding #USPol #USPolitics

Trump’s budget director pick: “Do we really need government-funded research at all”

Mick Mulvaney suggested Zika science is uncertain, so we shouldn’t bother to fund it.

Vox

Update. "CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cdc-who-publication-memo_n_67c1eb34e4b0bf54864084cf

"Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [#CDC] have been prohibited from co-authoring publications with World Health Organization [#WHO] staff, dealing a blow to global research efforts and continuing the #Trump administration’s aggressive attack on government-funded science."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel

It’s just the latest “Orwellian” crackdown on government scientists.

HuffPost

Update. The #NIH web site is down.
https://www.nih.gov/

It's been up and down, but mostly down, since before noon yesterday.
https://downdetector.com/status/nih/

I don't know what's going on but will post updates as I find them.

#DefendResearch #Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "RFK Jr. issues rule barring public comment on #HHS rulemaking"
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5170090-rfk-jr-hhs-public-comment-rulemaking-ends/

"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday released a policy prohibiting public comments during his department’s rulemaking process, ending more than 50 years of the public’s involvement in crafting his department’s rules…After assuming office, Kennedy had vowed to usher in “radical transparency” at the HHS…Lawrence O. Gostin, faculty director of O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at the Georgetown University Law Center…speculated that Kennedy was rescinding public comments in order to quickly “ram through” radical changes to health care, public health and scientific research in the U.S."

#DefendResearch #Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The #NIH site is back up.
https://www.nih.gov/

The reports of it being down have plummeted to near zero.
https://downdetector.com/status/nih/

But I'm still looking for a good explanation of what happened.

#Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Official website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is one of the world's foremost medical research centers. An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the Federal focal point for health and medical research. The NIH website offers health information for the public, scientists, researchers, medical professionals, patients, educators, and students. The Site has extensive information on funding and training opportunities, clinical trials, health news and links to the many Institutes and Centers that make-up the NIH.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Update. Therese Choquette ran searches on #PubMed and may have found gaps corresponding to terms banned by the #Trump admin.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/therese-choquette-former-vallerskog-1531132_pubmed-activity-7301996327691816961-afAN?rcm=ACoAAADEjlkBbyOxuygZagmqeEC6540rx1UQQSs

PS: Unfortunately she compared US PubMed with Europe PubMed Central, which is apples to oranges. (PubMed is metadata-only and PMC is full text.) Can we crowdsource some systematic searches comparing (1) PubMed now with PubMed before Trump, e.g. in the Wayback Machine, and (2) US PMC with Europe PMC?

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Therese Choquette (former Vallerskog) on LinkedIn: #pubmed | 31 comments

**Edit: I did this search due to the situation here in the US. The intent was to see how US PubMed performed the searching on topics containing the ”forbidden” words. Not looking if any papers were purged, only the search responses.** I read that #PubMed was down off and on, and therefore I did a test (March 2, 2025 around 10am EST) to compare results from the NIH PubMed to the European PubMed. The outcome of the searches made my chin fall down to the floor since they provided completely different results! I expected different, but not to this extent. This really makes me upset and I see a very dark time for science here in the US, very heartbreaking. These were the searches: 1. womens health in low income states in USA 2. transgender diversity and equal opportunities for promotion in USA. The screenshots below are showing you the difference in the number of publications and content. I will for sure absolutely NOT trust the NIH PubMed when searching for publications and I will use the European version from now on. This is the link to the European PubMed: https://europepmc.org | 31 comments on LinkedIn

Update. "48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science"
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/scientists-ask-congress-protect-future-science

"[48] scientific societies…representing almost 100,000 scientists from diverse disciplines, have sent a letter, organized by the #UCS, to members of Congress demanding that they protect federally funded scientific research and federal scientists. The letter is open so the number of signers may continue to grow."

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science

48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science

Union of Concerned Scientists

Update. Here's the open letter mentioned in the previous post (this thread).
https://ucs-documents.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/science-network/Scientific-Society-Sign-On-Letter-signed-2-28-25.pdf

"We, the undersigned professional scientific societies, associations, and organizations, are writing to ask you to take immediate action to protect and restore life-saving and essential scientific research that…[is] funded by American taxpayers and authorized by Congress and cannot be unilaterally halted by the executive branch."

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. It's just a coincidence that the newer open letter to Congress in the previous post, this thread (nd but approx March 3) …
https://ucs-documents.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/science-network/Scientific-Society-Sign-On-Letter-signed-2-28-25.pdf

… and this older letter (nd but approx Feb 17) …
https://unitedsciencealliance.org/

… were both initially signed by 48 scientific societies. They're different letters, organized by different groups, and signed by (mostly) different societies.

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The American Physical Society (#APS, @apsphysics) is running a survey on the impact of cuts to US science #funding. Please take it if you're affected or likely to be affected.
https://apsphysics.fillout.com/t/6ESUva3vwGus

"This survey collects stories showcasing the transformative positive impact of #NSF, #NIST, #DOE, #NASA, and #DOD-funded research and programs as well as what would be lost if support for basic research evaporates. You can document your experiences and share how recent executive actions have impacted you. Individual stories will be only be used publicly with permission or when fully anonymized."

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Impacts of Federal Science Funding

Made with Fillout, the best way to make forms, surveys and quizzes your audience will answer.

Impacts of Federal Science Funding

Update. "US science is under threat ― now scientists are fighting back"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00661-8

"The courts temporarily halted some of the Trump administration’s orders, but a coherent message has broken through: federal support for science is in danger. Gradually, scientists began to stir, Varga says: “They’re realizing now that doing any one thing is better than doing nothing.” That activism is taking many forms...."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

US science is under threat ― now scientists are fighting back

Researchers are organizing protests and making their voices heard as Trump officials slash funding and lay off federal scientists.

Update. "‘Omg, did #PubMed go dark?’ Blackout stokes fears about database’s future"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00674-3

"The NIH told Nature in an e-mail that, on 1 March 'some of NIH public-web services experienced service disruptions' but all services were restored on 2 March. 'NIH is committed to resilient and open access to PubMed and other NIH web services,' the team wrote. But [Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious-diseases physician] says any disruption — even if temporary — raises concerns about how researchers access essential scientific information. 'It also serves as a reminder of the need for contingency plans, such as alternative #repositories or offline access to critical research, to ensure that health-care providers and researchers are not left without crucial information when they need it most,' she says."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #OpenInfrastructure #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

‘Omg, did PubMed go dark?’ Blackout stokes fears about database’s future

A brief outage has focused attention on scientists’ reliance on the US-government-funded website.

Update. "EDGI Relaunches Federal Environmental Web Tracker"
https://envirodatagov.org/press-release-edgi-relaunches-federal-environmental-web-tracker/

"In response to the #Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of federal websites, the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (#EDGI) has relaunched its Federal Environmental Web Tracker…The… Tracker makes records of significant changes to federal environmental websites publicly available in a searchable database…Since the first Trump administration, EDGI has monitored thousands of federal environmental webpages. Partners at the #InternetArchive download these webpages every day, and EDGI’s #OpenSource software compares versions of these webpages to identify differences."

#Censorship #Climate #DefendResearch #Environment #Monitoring #Preservation #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

PRESS RELEASE: EDGI Relaunches Federal Environmental Web Tracker – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative

In response to the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of federal websites, the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) has relaunched its Federal Environmental Web Tracker.

Environmental Data and Governance Initiative

Update. An editorial in _Annals of Internal Medicine_ responds to "Political Action That Threatens the Integrity of Medical Research."
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00985

"The editors have given a great deal of thought to actions Annals can take to counter some of this damage. Following an executive order that limited the ability of health agency staff to communicate externally, we quickly published all manuscripts with government-affiliated authors that were accepted but awaiting publication before we could receive a request to withdraw them. As a member of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [#ICMJE], Annals helped develop and strongly endorses the guidance it posted in early February 2025 relevant to journals' responses to requests to withdraw, revise, or alter authorship of manuscripts in process at scientific journals. To date, we are unaware of any request to retract published articles that include banned terms or address issues the U.S. administration deems unsavory. If we receive such requests, Annals will not honor them. Retraction is warranted only when there is clear evidence of major errors or scientific misconduct that seriously compromise research findings."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. Kudos to Aix Marseille University (@univamu_europe), for funding "American Scientists Who Fear #Trump #Censorship"
https://www.404media.co/french-university-to-fund-american-scientists-who-fear-trump-censorship/

"A leading French university is inviting American scientists who fear their research on subjects like #climate might be censored by Donald Trump’s administration to do their work in France. The program is called ‘safe place for science,’ and will provide 15 million Euros in funding for some 15 researchers over a 3-year period…It targets, but is not limited to, climate and environment, health, and human and social sciences."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #USPol #USPolitics

French University to Fund American Scientists Who Fear Trump Censorship

The program, called ‘safe place for science,’ offers American scientists funding to continue their research in France.

404 Media

Update. "NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00703-1

"In an unprecedented move, the US #NIH has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities.” NIH staff members have been instructed to identify and potentially cancel grants for projects studying transgender populations, #gender identity, diversity, equity and inclusion (#DEI) in the scientific workforce, [or] #environmentaljustice…Grants that allot funding to universities in #China and those related to #climate change are also under scrutiny. 'It’s extremely alarming that grants that have been vetted by the scientific community and deemed important and impactful to understand the world are now being cancelled because of political ideology,' says Lisa Fazio, a cognitive psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who studies misinformation. 'For all this talk about free speech, this is direct censorship of scientific research.'"

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Medicine #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants

Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.

Update. The Stand Up For Science rally starts in two hours (noon ET).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5CnzeVD5T-2GpeicyvWJYluRWCtaayW/view

"Since being launched in mid-February, Stand Up for Science has transformed into a national movement with international support. Our primary goal: defending science as a public good and central pillar of social progress. On March 7th, we will host official events mobilizing scientists and science advocates in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and 28 other cities around the United States....But March 7th is just the beginning. Our policy goals include a restoration of federal scientific funding, the reinstatement of wrongfully terminated employees at federal agencies, an end to governmental interference and censorship in science, and a renewed commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science. We are also committed to empowering scientists–and anyone who has benefited from scientific advancements–to engage in sustained advocacy in the years to come."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #standupforscience2025 #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Stand Up For Science 2025 Press Release_02.28.25.pdf

Google Docs

Update. "‘Scientists will not be silenced’: thousands protest Trump research cuts"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00704-0

"Thousands of researchers and supporters of science protested in cities across the US and Europe today against actions taken by the administration of US President Donald #Trump to cut the US scientific workforce and slash spending on research worldwide…Marie Walde, a biophysicist at the Roscoff Biological Station in France, posted about a rally she attended…saying: “In solidarity with our colleagues in the US, researchers and citizens all over France are protesting today for science and knowledge as a public good.” … Since taking office in January, Trump and his team have laid off, and in some cases then tried to rehire, thousands from US science agencies, whose jobs touched on nuclear safety, bird flu surveillance, extreme-weather forecasting and more."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

‘Scientists will not be silenced’: thousands protest Trump research cuts

Researchers at Stand Up for Science rallies voice defiance against the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Heard at yesterday's Stand Up For Science rally in Washington.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/healthpolicy/114556

Francis Collins, former director of the #NIH: "99% of new drug approvals depended…on NIH research…So the industry has a lot to lose if federal investment is damaged. It would be good to hear more about that from pharmaceutical company leaders -- just saying."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD.). Said he was glad to be in a crowd with so many "mad scientists… Everybody in America should be mad…about what we are witnessing right now in our country, including the illegal and reckless attacks on science by Elon #Musk and the #Trump administration."

Former Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI). When he and his colleagues introduced the 21st Century Cures Act in 2015, it included $45 billion in additional health research funding for NIH and FDA. At the time, they had support from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, including former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). "You see, diseases don't impact just Republicans or Democrats. It [sic] impacts all of us."

Bill Nye the Science Guy. "We demand that scientists not be censored, that there be legal safeguards to prevent political interference in their research and they be enabled to communicate their findings freely."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Researchers, Doctors, Patients Rally to 'Stand Up for Science'

Speakers at D.C. event included politicians, a recent NIH director, and Bill Nye the Science Guy

Update. Selected additional coverage of the March 7 Stand Up For Science rally in Washington and across the country:

Scientists Are Rising Up to Resist Trump Policies, Inside Climate News, March 6
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06032025/stand-up-for-science-marches-resist-trump-policies/

‘Enough is enough’: Scientists from UCLA, USC protest Trump’s policy changes, LA Times, March 7
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-03-07/stand-up-for-science-los-angeles-protest-trump-cuts

Thousands gather across U.S. and world in Stand Up for Science events, Science, March 7
https://www.science.org/content/article/thousands-gather-across-u-s-stand-science-events

Out of the lab and into the streets, researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cuts, AP, March 7
https://apnews.com/article/science-doctors-cuts-budget-trump-health-climate-cead2742a686b3dbc2fe4b1294939454

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Scientists Are Rising Up to Resist Trump Policies - Inside Climate News

March 7 demonstrations across the U.S. and Europe will protest cuts to research, staffing and funding, and push for a continued federal focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Inside Climate News

Update. "USDA’s Purge of #Climate #Data is Illegal and Reckless, Doing Immediate Harm to Farmers, Lawsuit Alleges"
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05032025/usda-climate-data-purge-harms-farmers/

"The #Trump administration has deleted thousands of climate-related web pages from the U.S. Department of #Agriculture’s (#USDA) website, stripping #farmers of critical resources as droughts, floods and shifting growing conditions intensify. Now, a coalition of environmental and farming groups is suing to get that information back, arguing that the purge is not just reckless but illegal."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

USDA’s Purge of Climate Data is Illegal and Reckless, Doing Immediate Harm to Farmers, Lawsuit Alleges   - Inside Climate News

Small agricultural operations and farmers new to the industry were left particularly vulnerable when the Trump administration took down websites that provide climate information, the plaintiffs claim.

Inside Climate News

Update. "These Words Are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/07/us/trump-federal-agencies-websites-words-dei.html

"The above terms appeared in government memos, in official and unofficial agency guidance and in other documents viewed by The New York Times. Some [agencies] ordered the removal of these words from public-facing websites, or ordered the elimination of other materials (including school curricula) in which they might be included…The presence of some terms was used to automatically flag for review some grant proposals and contracts that could conflict with Mr. #Trump’s executive orders. The list is most likely incomplete. More agency memos may exist than those seen by New York Times reporters, and some directives are vague or suggest what language might be impermissible without flatly stating it."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

The Words Federal Agencies Are Discouraged From Using Under Trump

Federal agencies have issued guidance to employees on hundreds of terms to limit or avoid using. An analysis of government websites shows many of the same words being removed.

The New York Times

Update. See the growing number of petitions from the Union of Concerned Scientists (#UCS, @ucsusa) at MoveOn.org (@moveon) in support of US science and scientists.
https://sign.moveon.org/partnerships/union-of-concerned-scientists

#DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Union of Concerned Scientists | MoveOn

Update. From @chrischirp: "Censor, purge, defund: how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science and universities"
https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/censor-purge-defund-how-trump-following

"Making a list of the actions taken since January 2025 reveals distinct patterns. Just as the administration’s actions as a whole are following an authoritarian playbook, so are the specific ways they are attacking science. I’ve displayed 35 distinct actions in the Venn Diagram below (table of actions with links), grouped into three main categories:
[1] Control of science to align with state ideology; [2] Undermining the independence of universities / suppressing dissent; [3] Maintaining geopolitical / economic goals."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Censor, purge, defund: how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science and universities

I have mapped 35 of the Trump administration's attacks on science and universities to the authoritarian playbook - and consider what it means for attacks still to come

Diving into Data & Decision making

Update. #ActionLab is a #crowdsourced collection of practical actions "for the various issues scientists are facing in the wake of destructive anti-science policies. Filter our database by action type, by location, by deadline, or by the amount of time you have to spend today. Find a way to act that is right for you."
https://airtable.com/apppMymixtqx3yqxa/shrpqNUa2cLF4gjwh

Here's the gallery view of the 27 actions posted to date.
https://airtable.com/apppMymixtqx3yqxa/shrDtqn83Zrm3KWVH

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Airtable | Everyone's app platform

Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.

Airtable

Update. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (#NASEM), talks about defending US science under #Trump.
https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/03/america-cant-be-great-without-great-science-that-is-where-the-academies-can-help?mc_cid=7d33d921dd&mc_eid=20aa62cccc

"First of all, we are working to reach officials in the administration who will be sensitive to the likely impacts of [their] actions on the health, security, economic opportunity, and well-being of all Americans. Second, we are using the contacts here at the Academies and among our members to directly appeal to other individuals who may share some of the administration’s goals. We are working with them to demonstrate how the scientific evidence base suggests some of the tactics the administration is taking now may not lead to the goals that they want to accomplish…The mantra of this administration is, of course, to make America great. Well, science has been a big part of what has made America great, and America can’t be great without great science…For example, we are doing a fast-track study on reducing red tape for researchers that should be useful to the new administration. It could dramatically increase the efficiency of federally supported science…I really encourage members to talk to their members of Congress; as their constituents, they have more impact."

#DefendResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "US science rues ongoing demotion of research under President Trump"
https://physicsworld.com/a/us-science-rues-ongoing-demotion-of-research-under-president-trump/

"In his first cabinet meeting on 26 February, #Trump suggested that officials “use scalpels” when trimming their departments’ spending and personnel – rather than #Musk’s figurative chainsaw. But bosses at the Environmental Protection Agency (#EPA) still plan to cut its budget by about two-thirds…The White House’s attack on #climate science goes beyond just the EPA. In January, the US Department of #Agriculture removed almost all data on climate change from its website…The Trump administration has also barred #NASA’s now former chief scientist Katherine Calvin and members of the State Department from travelling to China for a planning meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Meanwhile, in a speech to African energy ministers in Washington on 7 March, US energy secretary Chris Wright claimed that coal has “transformed our world and made it better”, adding that climate change, while real, is not on his list of the world’s top 10 problems."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

US science rues ongoing demotion of research under President Trump – Physics World

US science continues to be hit hard by budget and staff cuts

Physics World

Update. "#Trump’s next #climate move: Show global warming benefits humanity"
https://www.eenews.net/articles/trumps-next-climate-move-show-global-warming-benefits-humanity/

"President Donald Trump has long rejected climate science. Now, his administration is grappling with how to assemble a body of federal climate research to show a warming world is benefiting humanity…Proposals include…conducting a hostile review of U.S. and international climate reports, and recruiting a White House-approved list of researchers to produce a National Climate Assessment based on partisan research and industry studies."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Disinformation #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Trump’s next climate move: Show global warming benefits humanity

A new federal report downplaying or denying climate change could drive a reversal of climate rules and expansion of executive authority.

E&E News by POLITICO

Update. "Strong Scientific Leaders Must Speak Out against the Trump Administration’s Science Denial"
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strong-scientific-leaders-must-speak-out-against-the-trump-administrations/

"We are proud to be members of the #NAS [National Academy of Sciences], but we are not proud of its present inaction. In these challenging and defining times, the National Academy of Sciences, of all scientific institutions, must speak up…The new #Trump administration is now making an unprecedented effort to prevent science from informing public policy. In his first day in office, President Trump signed executive orders withdrawing the U.S. from participation in the Paris Agreement on #climate change and from the World Health Organization [#WHO]. The new administration has subsequently acted to drastically limit support for climate and medical research performed by scientists in the federal government and in universities. In this emergency, it is not enough for the National Academy of Sciences to speak up from its grass roots, as in 2016 or 2018. It must now speak as an institution if it is to fulfill its responsibilities to the nation and maintain its relevance in the future."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

Strong Scientific Leaders Must Speak Out against the Trump Administration’s Science Denial

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences should denounce the antiscientific policies of the Trump administration

Scientific American

Update. "How college presidents are quietly resisting federal attacks on higher education"
https://www.highereddive.com/news/college-presidents-resisting-federal-attacks-higher-education/742074/

"The relative lack of public statements is not a sign of cowardice as some have suggested. It’s that many college presidents have rightly concluded that quiet resistance rather than public protest is a more effective strategy. "

PS: Is quiet resistance working? If so, more power to it. It has to be better than quiet blenching. But does it work better than unquiet resistance? And how would we know?

#Academia #Universities #Trump #USPol #USPolitics
@academicchatter

How college presidents are quietly resisting federal attacks on higher education

Many leaders of institutions favor behind-the-scenes resistance over protests and op-eds, the Council of Independent Colleges’ president writes. 

Higher Ed Dive

Update. It's not enough for #Trump to …

* nominate #climate denialists to run key agencies like the #EPA and #NOAA
* remove climate-related words from govt web sites
* take down whole climate science sites and datasets
* defund climate research and researchers
* layoff scientists and civil servants with climate expertise
* repeal climate regulations
* eliminate 10 regional EPA offices, including the one in DC
* and plan to replace consensus climate findings with ideological cherrypicking as the foundation for policymaking …

… now his #FBI is freezing the assets of nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity, which have received EPA grants, alleging that they might be guilty of “possible criminal violations” including “conspiracy to defraud the United States.”
https://newrepublic.com/post/192660/trump-fbi-charge-climate-organizations

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Trump’s FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups

The Trump administration is targeting climate organizations that received a Biden-era grant.

The New Republic

Update. "US Funding Cuts Imperil Open Infrastructure Globally"
https://katinamagazine.org/content/article/open-knowledge/2025/US-funding-cuts-imperil-open-infrastructure-globally

"The impacts of funding cuts to research in the US extend far beyond their immediate targets. We see a chain reaction that could indelibly alter the education and research landscape, including the future of open and sustainable research…So what is there to do?… Here are our three specific calls to action…"

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #OpenInfrastructure #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

US Funding Cuts Imperil Open Infrastructure Globally

The impacts of funding cuts to research in the US extend far beyond their immediate targets. We see a chain reaction that could indelibly alter the education and research landscape, including the future of open and sustainable research.

Katina Magazine | Annual Reviews

Update. "A Call for Harm Reduction Strategies"
https://katinamagazine.org/content/article/open-knowledge/2025/a-call-for-harm-reduction-strategies

"The new US presidential administration has launched an unprecedented assault on research and higher education. This isn’t just collateral damage from wide-ranging realignment of budgets, which would be bad enough, but an orchestrated attack on academic freedom, research funding, and the institutional autonomy that underpins intellectual progress…Resistance is most effective when collective action amplifies individual efforts rather than occurring in isolation. This means fostering more frequent and open dialogue across all sectors of the academic and research community [e.g. #libraries and #publishers]."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

A Call for Harm Reduction Strategies

The Trump administration has launched an orchestrated attack on academic freedom, research funding, and the institutional autonomy that underpins intellectual progress. We must act now, together.

Katina Magazine | Annual Reviews

Update. "Joint Statement on Federal Censorship of American History"
https://www.historians.org/news/aha-oah-joint-statement-on-federal-censorship-of-american-history/

"The American Historical Association (#AHA) and the Organization of American Historians (#OAH) condemn recent efforts to censor historical content on federal government websites, at many public museums, and across a wide swath of government resources…Policies that purge words, phrases, and content that some officials deem suspect on ideological grounds constitute a systemic campaign to distort, manipulate, and erase significant parts of the historical record. Recent directives insidiously prioritize narrow ideology over historical research, historical accuracy, and the actual experiences of Americans.

As the institution chartered by the US Congress for “the promotion of historical studies” and “in the interest of American history, and of history in America,” the American Historical Association must speak out when the nation’s leadership wreaks havoc with that history. So, too, must the OAH, as the organization committed to promoting “excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history.” It is bad enough to forget the past; it is even worse to intentionally deny the public access to what we remember, have documented, and have expended public resources to disseminate."

"To date, 11 organizations have signed on to the statement."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

AHA–OAH Joint Statement on Federal Censorship of American History

The American Historical Association (AHA) and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) have released a joint statement condemning federal censorship of American history.

AHA

Update. "#APDU [Association of Public Data Users] Statement on #Education Research and #Data"
https://apdu.org/?p=5812775

"On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, over 1,000 staff from the Department of Education [#DOE] were laid off. This includes almost all staff from the Institute of Education Sciences (#IES), which housed the National Center for Education Statistics (#NCES)…NCES is mandated by law to report on the condition of education annually, collect and disseminate key education data, and support state and local education agencies…The [layoffs] make it unclear how NCES will meet its legal obligations under the Education Sciences Reform Act, Every Student Succeeds Act, the Information Quality Act, and other federal laws…Congress and policymakers must act to ensure NCES has the resources to meet its statutory obligations. Stakeholders—including researchers, educators, and state leaders—must demand transparency on how education data will be maintained."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #OpenData #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

APDU Statement on Education Research and Data – Association of Public Data Users

Update. Survey of US #librarians and #LIS faculty.
https://coloradomesa.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9GjMQWWDpB5zDDg

"Recent weeks and months have brought shifts to the pursuit of research across the United States, including funding freezes and budget cuts, executive orders regarding DEIA (and its variants) and other justice-related topics (e.g., environmental justice)…This survey aims to gather the perspectives of academic librarians and LIS-program faculty about the implications of these shifts (and executive orders) on research initiatives and, more broadly, academic freedom, researchers' freedom of thought/speech/expression within academia, and researchers' overall intellectual freedom."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

Update. Good advice from #MichaelIgnatieff, past President of the Central European University in Budapest and Vienna (2016-2021): "How a University Fights an Authoritarian Regime. Viktor #Orbán came for me. Donald #Trump is coming for you. Here’s what to do."
https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-a-university-fights-an-authoritarian-regime
(#paywalled)

"You’re going to need an alliance that pulls together American families, employers, unions, companies, the whole network of people and institutions beyond your campus who understand that the universities of America are critical to everything that is good about the country: its commitment to freedom, its devotion to excellence, its leadership in science and medicine. This alliance is going to have to get political — to reach across red state and blue state, identify the members of Congress from both sides of the House who understand why universities matter to their communities, to the American economy, and to America’s deserved reputation for excellence. Don’t mince words. It’s too late to play nice. Call a spade a spade. Convince enough Americans that the administration’s strategy deserves only one name: vandalism."

#Academia #DefendResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics
@academicchatter

Update. "#Trump Executive Order Targets #IMLS for Closure"
https://www.wordsandmoney.com/trump-executive-order-targets-imls-for-closure/

"In a March 14 Executive Order, President Donald Trump has targeted seven more federal agencies for permanent closure, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

If some parts of IMLS are "statutorily required" and cannot be shut down by an executive order, the #OMB has seven days to show it.

"EveryLibrary is hosting a petition [to keep IMLS open]…The American Library Association has…weighed in with a statement."

#DefendResearch #Funding #Libraries #USPol #USPolitics

Trump Executive Order Targets IMLS for Closure

In a March 14 Executive Order, President Donald Trump has targeted seven more federal agencies for permanent closure, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The order states that the president has determined IMLS is “unnecessary” and gave agency officials seven days to submit a report to the OMB

Words & Money

Update. "Scientists Say #NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub #mRNA References on Grants"
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-grants-mrna-vaccines-trump-administration-hhs-rfk/

"National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA #vaccine technology from their grant applications…NIH acting Director Matthew Memoli sent an email across the NIH instructing that any grants, contracts, or collaborations involving mRNA vaccines be reported up the chain to #HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s office and the White House."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Medicine #USPol #USPolitics

Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants - KFF Health News

Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promising field of medical research.

KFF Health News

Update. #Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate #EPA’s Scientific Research Arm"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/climate/trump-eliminates-epa-science.html

"The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, according to documents reviewed by Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology…The EPA’s plan… calls for dissolving the agency’s largest department, the Office of Research and Development, and purging up to 75 percent of the people who work there. The remaining staff members would be placed elsewhere within the EPA…Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D-CA],…the top Democrat on the science committee, said that without the Office of Research and Development, the EPA would not be able to meet its legal obligation to use the “best available science” when writing regulations and considering policy. She also said that the office was created by congressional statute and that dissolving it would be illegal."

#Censorship #Climate #DefendResearch #Environment #Takedowns #USPol #USPolitics

Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm

More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

The New York Times

Update. "#DOGE order leads to journal cancellations by U.S. agricultural library"
https://www.science.org/content/article/doge-order-leads-journal-cancellations-u-s-agricultural-library

"The #USDA on Friday told staff members it has canceled subscriptions carried by its National Agricultural Library as part of a drive by President Donald #Trump’s administration to cut federal spending. The move appears to drop nearly 400 of the library’s roughly 2000 journals, including many prominent in various agricultural subfields —but curiously none from the world’s three largest scientific publishers, all of which are #ForProfit. USDA staff members depicted the move as hasty, indiscriminate slashing…Studies of journal subscription fees indicate that on average, scientific #SocietyPublishers charge less than such for-profit companies."

PS: (1) Of course the best ag research should be #OpenAccess. But that's a goal, not the current reality, and while we work for that goal, policymaking agencies still need access the best research. (2) If efficiency requires budget cuts, why focus the cuts on journals from #nonprofit #publishers, which on average are lower in price and higher in quality?

#Agriculture #DefendResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "Don’t wait out four hard years: speak truth to power"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00791-z

"More scholars must push back. The idea that scientists can keep doing what they know must be done to incorporate #DEI into their work while adjusting terms to fit the demands of bigoted autocrats bent on hobbling science is to whistle loudly past a graveyard of avoidable error, continued financial cuts and censorship. That diversity matters to science is a truth — albeit one that has only recently begun to be accepted and applied…Genomics has established that different groups of people respond differently to drugs and vaccines. The individuals recruited to and participating in clinical trials must be representative of those who will use those treatments in real life…Social scientists are well aware that understanding behaviour and implementing desired change requires studying populations besides white, Western, university psychology students."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Don’t wait out four hard years: speak truth to power

The importance of diversity in science is an unshakeable reality that the scientific community must stand by.

Update. Gary Price (@infodocket) is collecting statements opposing the #Trump admin's attempt to shut down the Institute of Museum and Library Services (#IMLS). Thanks, Gary!
https://www.infodocket.com/2025/03/17/roundup-statements-in-response-to-executive-order-impacting-the-institute-of-museum-and-library-services-imls/

#DefendResearch #Libraries #LIS #USPol #USPolitics

Roundup: Statements in Response to Executive Order Impacting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

We will continue to update this roundup as we learn of additional statements.  Latest Additions (Last Update: 9:55am; April 8, 2025) COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies) Requests Clarification From IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling Statements from National and International History, Library, Museum Organizations & Others American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) American Library […]

Library Journal infoDOCKET

Update. "French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of #Trump found"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/trump-musk-french-scientist-detained

"A French scientist was denied entry to the US this month after immigration officers at an airport searched his phone and found messages in which he had expressed criticism of the Trump administration…The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Travel #USPol #USPolitics

French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found

France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched

The Guardian

Update. "Foreign interference laws ‘no protection from #Trump edicts’"
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/foreign-interference-laws-no-protection-trump-edicts
(#paywalled)

"A memo sent to Australian collaborators in US-funded research projects seeks assurances that they and their institutions have no involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion (#DEI) initiatives, “environmental justice”, “gender ideology extremism” or “any party that espouses anti-American beliefs”. It asks whether they have received any funding from China, including Confucius Institutes and “non-state actors”, along with Russia, Cuba or Iran. The 36 questions also include queries on how the projects “create measurable benefits” for the US."

#Australia #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #USPol #USPolitics

Foreign interference laws ‘no protection from Trump edicts’

Rules designed for adversaries do not help against friends, expert warns, as US grills Australian researchers on DEI, ‘environmental justice’, ‘gender ideology’ and China links

Times Higher Education (THE)

Update. "What’s in store for US science as funding bill averts government shutdown"
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00827-4

"The US government averted a shutdown late last week after President Donald #Trump signed into law a spending agreement that is likely to lock in modest cuts to science funding this year. But a larger crisis for science still looms as the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress continue to seek massive cuts to the federal budget for 2025 and beyond."

#DefendResearch #Funding #USPol #USPolitics

What’s in store for US science as funding bill averts government shutdown

Spending on research, including at the NIH, will see modest cuts this year. But the threat of big reductions in future remain.

Update. "Researchers say the US government tried to erase sexual orientation from their findings"
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/researchers-us-government-erase-sexual-orientation-findings-120041183

"Two California researchers said Friday that a U.S. government health publication instructed them to remove data on sexual orientation from a scientific manuscript that had been accepted for publication… Instead of complying, the researchers withdrew their paper from _Public Health Reports_, the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General and U.S. Public Health Service."

Also see the blog post by the two co-authors, Tamar Antin and Rachelle Annechino.
https://criticalpublichealth.org/blog/2025/03/21/resisting-attacks-on-science/

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Researchers say the US government tried to erase sexual orientation from their findings

Two California researchers say a U.S. government health publication instructed them to remove data on sexual orientation from a scientific manuscript that had been accepted for publication

ABC News

Update. "US conference boycott urged after French scientist deported"
https://archive.is/Wxwdg

"Academics say they are increasingly wary of travelling to conferences in the US after a French scientist was deported over text messages critical of Donald #Trump’s cuts to research funding … Space scientist Mark Wieczorek [@mrak], director of research at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, part of CNRS, said the situation was “very troubling” and, despite being a dual US-French citizen, he now would “only go to the US for the case of a family emergency”…Given the French scientist in question is a “permanent researcher employed by CNRS”, it is “unlikely that this person is a radicalised terrorist and it is unlikely that their hatred of Trump is greater than mine as a US citizen,” continued Wieczorek."

#DefendResearch #Travel #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. New study: "#NIH investment in drugs approved from 2010 to 2019 was not less than investment by the #pharmaceutical industry, with comparable accounting for basic and applied research, failed clinical trials, and cost of capital or discount rates."
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2804378

PS: Relevant to (1) #Trump admin cutbacks to NIH #funding and (2) industry #patents and licensing terms on approved drugs.

#Medicine #Pharma

Update. "Center for Open Science (#COS) Statement on U.S. Executive Orders and the Future of Open Scholarship"
https://www.cos.io/about/news/cos-statement-on-the-future-of-open-scholarship

"Recent executive orders and shifts in U.S. federal policy pose significant concerns for the research community, including the removal of publicly available data, changes in research governance, and uncertainties around funding. While some policies claim to promote transparency, their selective application risks undermining scientific integrity. True openness must apply across all research domains —not just where it aligns with political agendas. COS remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting and promoting open scholarship. Ensuring long-term access to research data is essential to maintaining scientific integrity. Our Open Science Framework (OSF) remains a reliable resource for researchers seeking to preserve and share their work, ensuring that public knowledge remains accessible despite policy uncertainties."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #OpenInfrastructure #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

COS Statement on U.S. Executive Orders and the Future of Open Scholarship

At the Center for Open Science (COS), our mission is to advance openness, integrity, and rigor in research. Scientific progress depends on a foundation of transparency, accessibility, and trust—principles that ensure research remains accountable, reproducible, and independent of political influence.

Update. "#NIH Ends Future Funding to Study the #Health Effects of #Climate Change"
https://www.propublica.org/article/nih-funding-climate-change-public-health

"The National Institutes of Health will no longer be funding work on the health effects of climate change, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica…While it’s unclear whether the climate guidance will impact active grants and lead to funding terminations, the directive appears to halt opportunities for future funding of studies or academic programs focused on the health effects of climate change."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Medicine #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

NIH Ends Future Funding to Study the Health Effects of Climate Change

It’s unclear whether the guidance will impact active grants, but it appears to halt opportunities for future studies. One climate health expert said the directive would have a “devastating” impact on much-needed research.

ProPublica
AAUP, Allies Sue over Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful Speech

The national AAUP; chapters at Harvard, Rutgers, and NYU; and the Middle East Studies Association today filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members who participate in pro-Palestinian protests and other protected First Amendment activities.

AAUP

Update. "‘Breathtakingly Irresponsible’: Former Workers Decry Decimation of #Education Dept.’s #Data Warehouse"
https://www.chronicle.com/article/breathtakingly-irresponsible-former-workers-decry-decimation-of-education-dept-s-data-warehouse

"More than 160 contracts measuring educational progress across the nation’s schools and colleges were suddenly halted. Probationary workers were fired, employees were blocked from accessing information on their computers, and a national center that dates to the time of Abraham Lincoln was effectively decommissioned overnight. Employees worked late into the evenings downloading data that had taken decades to compile, according to interviews with more than a dozen people fired from the Institute of Education Sciences (#IES), an independent and nonpartisan agency within the U.S. Department of Education [#DOE], and its National Center for Education Statistics (#NCES)…IES, which had 173 employees before the cuts, was left with just over a dozen after Elon #Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency swept through the Education Department early last month. The crippling of the office was so swift and haphazard that it left serious doubts about how much of the educational data that has informed higher-education policy and practice will continue to be available."

#DefendResearch #OpenData #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "Global Science in Danger"
https://blog.scielo.org/en/2025/03/26/global-science-in-danger/

"Recently, the government of the United States of America (USA) has frightened the scientific community…by censoring terms used in scientific communications and funding proposals…The idea that this is just relevant to American scientists or scientists from elsewhere working in America is not correct; with researchers the world over being affected. In the Netherlands, for instance, some researchers monitoring the state of forests…have received email messages, ostensibly from the #USGS (United States Geological Survey) and labelled “High Priority”. A list of questions was attached with the request to respond with answers within a week of receiving the email. The USGS indicated that sending these messages had been ordered by the United States Office of Management and Budget (#OMB)."

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

Global Science in Danger | SciELO in Perspective

The current American government is curtailing science in several ways. Certain terms are censored in scientific reports and publications, communications and collaborations between scientists are limited or even proscribed, and funding is withdrawn. The implications for scientific research in the US are vast, but the long arm of the American government has undesired effects on the global science community as well, particularly on the numerous ways scientists elsewhere collaborate with their American colleagues. The preeminence of American science seems truly being shattered.

SciELO in Perspective

Update. The National Museum and Library Services Board (#NMLSB) just sent an open letter to #Trump's acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (#IMLS), Keith Sonderling.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/binary-data/ARTICLE_ATTACHMENT/file/000/006/6639-1.pdf

"It is our considered determination that the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, as codified in Title 20 of the U.S. Code, outlines specific statutory mandates that cannot be paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute…All such statutory obligations may not be discontinued or delayed under an Executive Order or other executive action."

#DefendResearch #Libraries #Museums #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

@petersuber Marianna Mazzuccato pointed things like this out in her book, “Entrepreneurial State”. NIH put up the money at the start of Brin and Page’s big adventure. And she quotes myriad other examples.
The cult of the “genius” is bad history but even worse policy and economics.
@petersuber @mrak This is the correct response. Individual actions even if they mean to sacrifice individual, and collective, short-term benefits
@petersuber @mrak Honestly, yeah. Give us a bit to figure this out. Lord willing we’ll be here after and ready to welcome you again.

@petersuber @mrak

One alternative is to accelerate the move of international conferences to outside of the US, but that ends up harming foreign US-based scholars here on visas, who now can't travel abroad for fear that their status will be revoked without warning at the border when they return.

Our communities should probably treat this as we did the height of the pandemic, and shift to online events.

@mattblaze it’s like the pandemic but for one country only.

Get a bit grumpy at the US centric view on this one. Open source and other communities can continue to meet in person.

@andymckay Get as grumpy a you want (I am, too), but the simple realty is that the US is a giant gorilla in STEM research. Balkanizing the research world into separate US and non-US communities would be enormously harmful.
@mattblaze @andymckay Worth noting in my opinion is also how much harm can be done by politics to the universities in quite a short time and how long it takes to recover.
As an example: the University of Göttingen was one of the leading universities worldwide in mathematics, physics and chemistry until 1933, when the nazis forced more than 20% of the academics to leave. It took decades to recover to a state far from the former state.
So the giant gorilla in STEM can disappear quite fast.
@mattblaze I don’t know every community, but the open source programming ones often have have large EU conferences.
@mattblaze @petersuber @mrak I don't know about online conferences. I've spent a good chunk of my career as a remote employee, and it worked, but I don't think I got nearly as much out of online conferences as in-person ones. NDSS did have a few remote presenters this year, but it's probably not a coincidence that none of them were among the people I had follow-up conversations with.
@acdingman @petersuber @mrak There's no doubt remote is suboptimal. But so is a situation in which half the community is unable to participate because they're rationally afraid to travel to the US (or, if they're noncitizens living here, afraid to travel abroad and have their visas revoked on returning).
@mattblaze @petersuber @mrak it's the noncitizens living here I worry about most. The current funding situation likely makes it hard for me to get to conferences abroad, but it seems appropriate for problems caused by US policies to fall most heavily on US people -- even if I don't know any US academics who voted for this garbage.

@petersuber @mrak

On that basis I'm never going to be let into the US while Trump is running the Turd Reich.

Boycott the US as much as possible until they can run their government on sane, rational lines.

@petersuber Next step: Ban any mention that the Earth is a globe (-ish) and not flat!
@petersuber More like this! I imagine it's not nothing to lose publication numbers in the world of publish-or-perish academia, so standing up for your values has a cost. Kudos to these researchers!

@petersuber

The modern way to look very fragile and insecure to the eyes of the world.

Inflicting a petulant snit on one French scientist is not going to be seen as a posture of strength.

Was Captain Obvious on probation, dismissed?

@petersuber use passwords/passcodes NOT fingerprint readers for login security. US law enforcement can legally press your finger to a fingerprint reader against your will in order to unlock a device, but they cannot force you to reveal a password/passcode.

Now let's guess which form of security this frenchman was using.. and probably on an iphone as well.

@petersuber

We have seen this coming and it will hurt or kill "miyuns" of men women and children. God forbid!

@petersuber

USPS is also in The Constitution

i know, i know