Perspective: Science & politics Upholding Scientific Integrity at Federal Agencies

Republicans and Democrats on a House subcommittee on Thursday agreed that science-related policy decisions should be based on facts, but differed on how to protect the federal scientists who gather and analyze those facts from undue influence.  

Courtney Bublé writes in Govexec that the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled “When Science Gets Trumped: Scientific Integrity at the Department of the Interior” to showcase the ways science is being censored under the Trump administration as well as advocate for the Scientific Integrity Act, which would prevent agency officials from intervening in their employees’ scientific work. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the full Natural Resources panel, said the subcommittee invited representatives from the Interior department to testify, but they declined.