Attacks on Science

Published Jan 20, 2017 Updated Jun 23, 2026

This page represents our work covering attacks on science under previous administrations. Our new tracker, covering attacks on science under the second Trump administration, can be found here. The methodology and other resources for this new tracking system can be found here.

Science is at the core of a healthy democracy. But for years, presidential administrations have, in differing ways, sidelined scientific evidence and attacked scientific integrity.

Due to the large number of attacks on science we’re seeing from the second Trump administration, we have provided regular summaries of documented attacks.

Below is the list of documented attacks on science that occurred under the four previous administrations. They include disappearing data, silenced scientists, suppressed studies, and other assaults on science-based policy. More information on these attacks can be found in our peer-reviewed study and in our data repository.

Attacks on science

Federal Agency Websites Altered

Scientific content has been changed on several agency websites in the early weeks of the Trump administration—and the alterations share some common themes.

CDC Cancels Climate Change Conference

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, facing likely opposition from the incoming administration, canceled a planned conference on climate change and health—setting a worrisome precedent of self-censorship and denying scientists an opportunity

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