Donald Trump has unleashed several executive orders and policy changes that are threatening ongoing and future scientific undertakings in the United States. Reports from media outlets like The Guardian and dedicated publications like Science and Nature have noted ensuing chaos across science agencies and restlessness among researchers and institutions.
The War on Science: A Disruptive Era in Science Under the Trump Administration
Trump has rolled out executive orders targeting gender-related policies, diversity, equity, and inclusion or DEI initiatives, and clean energy undertakings since assuming office in January 2025. These have stirred widespread commotion and consequences in the different facets of science and specific scientific undertakings.
1. Freezing and Review of Federal Grants and Programs
Particular orders relating to DEI initiatives and clean energy projects have forced several science agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to pause grant review panels and review existing grants for compliance. Several researchers are uncertain about the future of their funding after some grants were terminated or flagged for containing terms that promote the principles of DEI initiatives.
The Trump administration has explicitly targeted DEI programs and labeled. This has resulted in the termination of programs like the Cultural and Academic Research Experience which aims to increase STEM participation among underrepresented groups. The Broader Impacts criterion of the National Science Foundation, which has historically encouraged diversity and inclusion in research, is also now under thorough review.
2. Censoring and Removing Information and Language
The National Science Foundation has been going through thousands of active research projects and publish research articles to look for keywords that are unaligned with the executive orders of the Trump administration. Moreover, to avoid being flagged for discussing or mentioning words like diversity” or “underrepresented,” researchers who have ongoing undertakings are revising their proposals and realigning their directions.
Specific directives have been issued to remove or alter health-related data from federal agency websites. These include information pertaining to gender health, HIV care, and racial disparities. This is an example of censorship. The situation impedes access to evidence-based information essential for scientific analysis and public health interventions. It also demonstrates presidential control over the kinds of science that get funded.
3. Disrupting Clinical Trials and Public Health Research
The Trump administration has also targeted foreign aid under the U.S. Agency for International Development. This is on top of orders that have disrupted the operations of science agencies and offices. Critical pursuits have been paused. For example, in a report by Stephanie Nolen of The New York Times, an ongoing clinical trial in South Africa testing a device to prevent HIV was shut down, thus leaving participants without follow-up care.
Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced communication freezes that resulted in delays in the release of critical public health data and the removal of critical data and content online. Dozens of researchers around the world have been scrambling to save copies of important datasets and information on public health and demographics after they were taken down on several U.S. government websites and online assets.
4. Withdrawing From International Health Collaboration
An executive order signed on the first day of the Trump administration officially began the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. The CDC has also been notified to cease all communications with the organization. Scientists and public health experts have warned that the eventual full withdrawal from the WHO would result in the U.S. losing access to vital data and information related to disease surveillance.
The withdrawal also threatens the progress made in collaborative initiatives like vaccine and drug development, disease eradication, and public health guidelines. Furthermore, with the withdrawal from the WHO to pursue an independent domestic public health policy, as well as the crackdown on USAID programs and operations, the U.S. is eroding its leadership in global health agenda. This opens new opportunities for countries like China.
5. Undermining Climate and Environment Research Efforts
Part of the economic policy of Trump is to usher in a new era of oil production to promote energy security. His admin has paused billions of dollars in federal climate spending. These included grants and loans authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. There are also proposed budget cuts the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Federal agencies have been directed to remove or modify climate-related data and language from government websites. The admin has also targeted key environmental regulations like methane emission standards, fuel economy rules, and pollution limits for power plants. Trump also pulled out from the Paris Climate Agreement on 20 January 2025 and scaled back U.S. government contribution to the international climate finance.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Basilio, H. 7 February 2025. “We Are a Target: Scientific Society Under Pressure After Trump DEI Crackdown.” In Nature. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. DOI: 1038/d41586-025-00372-0
- Houlthaus, E. 5 February 2025. “US Scientists Feeling ‘Stress and Fear’ as Sweeping Trump Order Hits Funding.” The Guardian. Available online
- Mallapaty, S. 2025. “Scientists Globally Are Racing to Save Vital Health Databases Taken Down Amid Trump Chaos. In Nature. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. DOI: 1038/d41586-025-00374-y
- Mervis, J. 5 February 2025. “Trump Orders Cause Chaos at Science Agencies.” Science. DOI: 1126/science.zsvh1ah
- Nolen, S. 6 February 2025. “Abandoned in the Middle of Clinical Trials, Because of a Trump Order.” The New York Times. Available online