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 are currently providing regular summaries of documented attacks.
- In the Dark: Trump Administration Continues to Cancel and Suppress Information (October 20, 2025)
- As Scientists Raise the Alarm, Trump Administration Attacks Continue (September 15, 2025)
- From the Courtroom to the Internet, the Fight Over Federal Science Is On (July 24, 2025)
- Science Under Fire in Washington (June 12, 2025)
- The State of Science at 100 Days: Co-Opted, Hindered, and Undermined (May 8, 2025)
- A Backward March: Another Month of Attacks on Federal Science (April 2, 2025)
- A Hundred Attacks and Counting: What Happened to Federal Science in February (March 12, 2025)
- How Science Has Fared in the First Two Weeks of the New Trump Administration (January 30, 2025)
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
President's Council on Bioethics
The Bush administration dismissed Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, a leading cell biologist, and Dr. William May, a prominent medical ethicist, from the President's Council on Bioethics.
Interior Department Overrules Scientists on Marbled Murrelet Designation
The Bush administration overruled the opinions of its own government scientists in deciding that the marbled murrelet in California, Oregon, and Washington was not genetically or ecologically distinct from bird populations in Canada and Alaska.
Agency Experts “Aghast” as EPA Adjusts Air Quality Models
In April 2004, air quality modelers from 9 regional EPA offices lodged an internal protest against a Bush administration policy that relaxes the way pollution can be measured over national parks and wilderness areas.
Agencies Control Scientists’ Contacts with the Media
Media policies at federal agencies have been changed to increase control over communications about climate science.
Scientific Knowledge on Breast Cancer Distorted
Information suggesting a link between abortion and breast cancer was posted on the National Cancer Institute website despite objections from CDC staff.
EPA Ignored Science When Regulating Power Plant Mercury Emissions
George W. Bush administration suppressed government research on mercury pollution damage and refused to undertake standard comparative analyses in a successful effort to avoid stronger standards regulating mercury emissions by coal-fired power plants.
World Trade Center Rescue Workers Believed EPA, Ended Up Sick
World Trade Center rescue workers believed EPA when it said Ground Zero area was safe, and ended up getting sick. The impact of this public deception continues to be felt by thousands of rescue workers now plagued by chronic and crippling lung ailments.
White House Office Overrules Science and Procedures at the EPA
The GW Bush White House Office of Management and Budget greatly expanded its power over governmental regulations and issued sweeping procedural changes to control how science is used by federal agencies.
Science Washed Away in Missouri River Decision Making
The Bush administration created a new team that critics alleged was an attempt to maintain river flows that favor political interests in the lower section of the Missouri River Basin.
Bull Trout Habitat Analyses Manipulated
Officials at the FWS distorted an analysis of the economic benefits of protecting the bull trout.
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