RFK must go. President Trump should fire him and appoint a qualified scientist to lead the agency entrusted to keep us all safe and healthy.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. ucs.org
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RFK must go. President Trump should fire him and appoint a qualified scientist to lead the agency entrusted to keep us all safe and healthy.
10 former directors of the CDC agree on the anti-science actions of RFK Jr: "This is unacceptable, and it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings."
Understanding how technology shapes our lives should be a public right. But as the need for independent research grows, the ability to do this work is being threatened. Learn more in a new report by The Coalition for Independent Technology Research: ➡️ independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...
Solar for All is under attack. This $7B program is meant to expand clean energy access for nearly 1M families. The EPA is trying to cancel it. We joined partners in sending letters to AGs in 21 states urging them to fight back. Read the letters and take action: votesolar.org/solar-for-al...
Our recent report, Decades of Deceit, comprehensively documents how major fossil fuel companies have misled the public and prevented climate action. We created a timeline that shows a small selection of their actions. Explore it here:
"In this moment, scientists, legal experts, and advocates must speak up to defend climate science, push back on disinformation, and preserve tools for accountability." Read UCS's Delta Merner's new blog.
Delta Merner reflects on her time in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 20 years ago: "Katrina showed me that climate change doesn’t just create disasters; it magnifies the injustices we’ve already allowed to exist."
Thanks, @winkie.bsky.social at @usatoday.com for reporting on our analysis of plutonium pit production. Lots to unpack here, so here's a short thread (1/n)
This week, multiple leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were ousted or resigned due to continued political interference and pressure to limit vaccine access. These firings defy all scientific evidence and endanger our health. We must not allow it to stand.
Dylan Spaulding, a nuclear security expert for the Union of Concerned Scientists, argued in a May report that NNSA's two-site approach for pit production is "questionable" and has unnecessarily driven up costs for reasons that are "likely more political than technical."
Hurricane Katrina underscored a reality that has become undeniable in the years since: Climate change together with long-standing racial and socioeconomic inequities are the background conditions within which communities experience extreme disasters. Read more lessons learned from Rachel Cleetus.
It is alarming when political discipline and loyalty are rewarded while people who uphold scientific integrity are punished. This administration is violating the basic principles of science and putting all of our health at risk.
In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics criticized the administration’s decision to limit vaccine access, affirming the medical community’s judgement that it puts children and families at risk: www.aap.org/en/news-room...
As @mtosterholm.bsky.social asserts, CDC “broke with the entire scientific and medical community…without data to support it and was largely politically motivated.” www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monrez was ousted by the White House after pushing back against Kennedy’s misinformation-based vaccine policies, which will limit access to life-saving vaccines. These policies will harm children and families and do not align with the best available science.
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social sums up: "Public health only works when people leading it are strong, principled & supported in their duty to protect and serve individuals& communities. Right now, that foundation is eroding at a speed I never thought possible. The nation’s health security is at risk."
@drdemetre.bsky.social resigned as Director for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease. His letter shines light on the growing and frightening reality of a federal government that refuses to acknowledge and act on evidence and facts.
It is extremely worrisome that we are losing great scientists and health experts under an administration that is, in their words, “weaponizing public health” under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership. thehill.com/policy/healt...
This week, multiple leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were ousted or resigned due to continued political interference and pressure to limit vaccine access – actions that defy the scientific evidence and endanger our health. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
On August 28th, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its new interim policy drive.google.com/file/d/1fOER...
The Multi-State Guidance encourages all of us to continue to “develop and pursue environmental justice initiatives” and outlines key areas of work that we can lawfully pursue to advance environmental and climate justice. UCS will continue to advocate for a healthy and safe environment for all.
EJ initiatives benefit all, not a few: “We should all be able to agree that neither race, nor income, nor a person’s zip code should be related to their exposure to pollution or the likelihood of serious illness and death. But that is still the world in which we live.”
To the Trump admin’s falsehoods about the legality of EJ initiatives, she responds: “However, as the Multi-State Guidance points out, the fact that the President signs an executive order calling policies and practices “illegal” does not make it true. Presidents cannot legislate by sharpie pen.”
As Marianne Engelman-Lado from NYU Law wrote, “These actions remain legal and necessary. They are common sense in a world where we care what happens to our family members and our neighbors.”
Thirteen State Attorney’s General wrote guidance in response to these attacks affirming the legality of EJ initiatives, “The federal actions attacking environmental justice have created concerns about—but do not impact—the continued legality and importance of environmental justice efforts.”
Environmental justice (EJ) is about fairness and access to a healthy and safe environment for all people. The Trump administration has disrupted and disbanded EJ initiatives including funding, research, and projects. Yet, this important work has and must continue. 🧵
"While the United States would like to force regional allies to choose between Washington and Beijing, trying to cut China off from these nations would be like trying to fit a champagne cork back in the bottle." Learn more in @rrucs.bsky.social's new blog.
“We’re losing precious, precious time to help stave off these terrible impacts of climate change. And I don’t know what we will say to our children and grandchildren, that this is what we wasted our time on.” Read what else UCS's own Rachel Cleetus has to say: grist.org/politics/us-...
Our expert Samantha Houston is skeptical about National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program's final guidance under Trump. Read more: act.ucsusa.org/45GtH1a
Trump’s executive order uses terms often associated with science and the scientific process, but behind this façade are directives that would weaken existing agency scientific integrity policies. These policies were created to protect federal scientists and their work from political attacks.
NEW: Trump is unlawfully keeping the public in the dark about his deregulatory priorities. By law, the Unified Agenda must be published twice a year, and must contain the full list of rules that agencies expect to propose or finalize in the next 6-12 months. sensiblesafeguards.org/press/vanish...
As these policies are developed and implemented, our experts will pay close attention to whether these policies will protect science from politicization—or enable it. And we’ll continue to make new policies available here as agencies roll them out. Stay tuned for more.
On August 25th, the Department of Health and Human Services published its new interim policy www.hhs.gov/gss/index.html
On August 22nd, NASA published its new interim policy www.nasa.gov/wp-content/u...
On August 22nd, the Department of Energy published its new interim policy www.energy.gov/sites/defaul...
On August 22nd, the Department of Commerce published its new interim policy. This guidance also covers agencies like NOAA and the Census Bureau www.commerce.gov/sites/defaul...
On August 22nd, the Consumer Product Safety Commission published its new interim policy www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/...
On August 22nd, the National Science Foundation (NSF) published its new interim policy nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/NSF-GS...
On August 22nd, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published its new interim policy www.nih.gov/sites/defaul...
On August 15th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published its new interim policy www.fda.gov/media/188214...
Ahead of agencies’ Aug. 22nd deadline, we sent them letters to advocate for strong SI despite the admin’s deceptive guidance. In this thread, we’ll be keeping track of when agencies publish their new science policies.
The new guidance has many red flags. For example, it does not include any of the safeguards developed over the past 4 years by SI experts and says to place political appointees in charge of protecting science from politicization.
Federal scientific integrity (SI) policies were created to protect fed scientists & their work from politicization, retaliation, & censorship. The Trump admin is replacing them w/ new policies to give the admin more leeway in politicizing science to reach conclusions convenient for its agenda🧵
The science is clear. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. We need real action to prepare for the next disaster, not empty rhetoric and vindictive retribution. Read the letter from FEMA staff: www.standupforscience.net/fema-katrina...
This week FEMA staff raised legitimate concerns about the agency's ability to effectively respond to extreme weather events. The Trump administration responded by punishing the messengers instead of better preparing for the next climate disaster. www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n...
As our recent report Decades of Deceit illustrates, fossil fuel companies cannot be trusted to do the right thing. "Just as the US needs laws to protect public health, it needs to be able to enforce laws when corporations knowingly cause harm," writes UCS's Kathy Mulvey.
My smart colleague @rrucs.bsky.social's smart question: Amid US-China rivalry, what do Asian nations really want? He notes US is putting allies in a bind, caught between US security priorities & the region's economic interests, which are increasingly tied to China. blog.ucs.org/robert-rust/...
New blog from our colleague Dr. Delta Merner. "In this moment, scientists, legal experts, and advocates must speak up to defend climate science, push back on disinformation, and preserve tools for accountability."
Ready to learn more? Our upcoming report digs deep into election data from the last three presidential elections. You won't want to miss our upcoming webinar on our findings. Register here:
🗳️Election Day is just ten weeks from today. We know that too often, eligible voters face undue burdens that make it harder to vote. We’re working with partners and election officials to implement science-backed solutions to improve access to the polls. Learn more at: ucs.org/election-recs
Ironically, litigation intended to intimidate the finance sector out of climate-conscious investing may end up "outlining the coal companies’ decades-long efforts to obstruct the energy transition," writes UCS's Pallavi Phartiyal. Read the full op-ed in @thehill.com
“By reverting to these older policies, we’re going to see scientists lose protections from retaliation. We’re going to see the loss of professional or appointed scientific integrity officers,” said UCS's Jennifer Jones. “They will now basically be replaced with political appointees.”
🎒🌎✨ Heading back to class? Going to the beach? Wherever you go, take science with you. Shop UCS gear, pins, books and more, now 50% off in our summer sale. Visit our store: act.ucsusa.org/SummerSale
This week, UCS’s Rachel Cleetus testified at the EPA hearing on its proposal to “reconsider” the 2009 Endangerment Finding and vehicle standards. If finalized, the rule would overturn science showing heat-trapping emissions harm public health. Here’s what she shared in 2.5 minutes.
"If a new skinny farm bill echoes the previous House version, that would be extremely unfortunate (if not surprising), and could be deeply damaging to our food and farm system." Learn more in Melissa Kaplan's new blog. #FarmBill
As the Trump administration fires, silences, and defunds scientists,, it weakens our nation’s grounding in truth. As a result, we as a country are much more vulnerable to actions and decisions founded in misinformation, disinformation, gossip, and hearsay.
Even when scientists remain employed, the chaotic pauses and cuts to research funding by the Trump administration are stopping clinical trials and forcing study participants and staff to go without pay.
It’s not just HHS. The Trump administration has fired an unprecedented number of federal workers across the government, many from agencies that do science for the public good
This will limit research about the safety of things we put into our bodies and what we know about emerging respiratory viruses.
More than 3,000 scientists and public health specialists have been let go from the Department of Health and Human Services, per a new study from @propublica.org, based on that agency’s employee directory.
We’ve just entered the most active part of the Atlantic hurricane season. We have been fortunate to have seen only 4 storms and one hurricane so far. But already, there has been loss of life and millions of dollars in damage. See what we’re watching this week on Danger Season in our weekly outlook.
The Trump admin’s backtracking on vehicle pollution standards has jeopardized US progress toward a modern freight system that protects public health and the planet. Thankfully, California and other states can keep leading the way, without federal approval. Learn more in UCS’s Sam Wilson’s blog.
6/ The good news is that you can still raise your voice on issues you care about—and UCS will continue to support and submit public comments from you on crucial government decisions. Learn more and get engaged today.
5/ In a healthy democracy, the government is responsive to the needs and input of the people and communities it serves. Raising barriers to public input undermines our democracy and makes it more difficult to share expertise and experience on regulations that impact our health and our planet.
4/ As detailed in our report, Science and Democracy Under Siege, the Trump administration is directing agencies to ignore public input and the science that keeps us safe.
3/ Federal agencies like the Department of Energy are also now bypassing traditional public comment processes and citing controversial legal loopholes that some experts say undermine transparency and democratic accountability.
2/ As shared by @publiccitizen.bsky.social, the Trump admin recently eliminated a crucial tool that allows people to easily submit public comments to federal agencies on a wide range of online platforms.
1/ Undermining democracy: The Trump administration is quietly and alarmingly eliminating ways for the public to engage in government decisionmaking. @sensiblesafeguards.bsky.social
"...having it all will require thoughtful leadership and an unprecedented willingness to work together across interests to meet extraordinary challenges. I believe we can do it," writes UCS's @danielbarad.bsky.social in his latest blog.
🚨 Breaking: Louisiana regulators rushed approval of Entergy & Meta’s massive gas-powered data center plan, without protections for ratepayers. “This decision follows a pattern of fast-tracking utility proposals with very little public notice and transparency...” Statement: act.ucsusa.org/4mqkQXe
🕰️🔥Explore the damning records Big Oil doesn’t want you to see: act.ucsusa.org/4fKKnbf
🧘♀️ Struggling to find a moment of calm amidst all the bad news this summer? MindLab offers practical, science-based techniques to help science supporters manage stress, regulate emotions & navigate uncertainty. Join us for free virtual sessions every Wednesday, 11:30 am ET.
⚡️ Free online home energy event! ⚡️ Renters & homeowners: learn how to tap Inflation Reduction Act incentives for induction stoves, heat pumps, EVs & more. Hosted by the Green Neighbor Project. 📍Thu Aug 28, 4–5 PM CT & last Thursday of each month. 🔗 Info + RSVP tinyurl.com/homenrg-qa
ASK A SCIENTIST: Can documenting attacks on science help us stop authoritarianism? UCS's Jules Barbati-Dajches Responds.
Join UCS and 100+ orgs in the streets on 9/20 in NYC and around the country. Demands: 💵Shut down billionaires. Fund our future. ✊Shut down fascists. Protect migrants and the global majority. 🌏Shut down polluters. Defend Mother Earth. #MakeBillionairesPay #MakePollutersPay
My new @science.org editorial on the role of scientists in defending democracy is out today. As authoritarianism takes hold in the US, we must fight for the democratic principles that enable a free society and scientists have a key role. I hope you'll join us. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Want to learn more about improving the redistricting process to protect democracy and better represent voters? Check out our fact sheet:
Electric trucks & buses = reduced climate-warming pollution & poor air quality. Thankfully, key policies can accelerate adoption. EPA’s Clean School Bus Program TRIPLED electric school bus deployment in the US. Learn more about MHDV deployment here:
Thank you to those in LA who shared their extreme weather stories and spoke up against Trump’s #ClimateChaosPlan that will worsen extreme heat, wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events that harm our communities.
A team of 54 experts just published a groundbreaking article in Frontiers in Water laying out best practices for repurposing cropland in California’s challenging landscape. UCS’s Dr. Angel S. Fernández-Bou breaks down the key takeaways from this important work.
In the middle of all this, Trump’s Department of Energy openly worships fossil fuels over a clean energy future.
The suit by @envdefensefund.bsky.social and UCS names Energy Secretary Wright, DOE, EPA and Administrator Zeldin, and the Climate Working Group.
EDF & UCS filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the District of MA challenging the secret establishment of the hand-picked group, its hidden activities and records & its unlawful use. It asks the court to declare these actions unlawful & enjoin them now and going forward.
Amid extreme weather this summer, Trump’s admin is reviving early-2000s denial talking points. A bogus DOE “climate report” by 5 contrarians, filled with cherry-picked data, was used by the EPA to justify rescinding the Endangerment Finding—echoing decades-old fossil fuel industry tactics.
Meanwhile, in the Tropics, Tropical Storm Erin became the first hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. In Alaska, a glacial outburst flood is possible in Juneau, which has recently been affected by multiple outbursts in recent years.
This week in #DangerSeason: In climate science news, more than 70 million Americans experienced a record number of days that are uncomfortably humid in June and July, along with record-breaking heat. Wildfires across Canada and the American West have created poor air quality for millions.
in April, FEMA ended its own Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and canceled applications from 2020-2023, putting $4 billion in BRIC funding in jeopardy. BRIC is FEMA’s grant program to help communities become more resilient before disasters
This was published today in Science magazine & co-authored by UCS president Gretchen Goldman @gretchentg.bsky.social and Harvard's Erica Chenoweth @chenoweth.bsky.social a leading scholar on authoritarian regimes & resistance movements essential to counter them. www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/eric...
Calling all scientists and science supporters! You have a crucial role to play in countering the authoritarian threat we currently face in this country. Learn more about how you can stand up for the facts and truth that are essential for a free and democratic society. blog.ucs.org/gretchen-gol...
A new report written by climate science deniers hand-picked by Trump Energy Secretary Wright is packed with cherry-picked data and is being used to dismantle climate protections—to the benefit of polluters. (1/2)
What should you do when you come across fossil fuel disinformation? Here are some do’s and don’ts for standing up to our own government’s climate propaganda.
On July 29, Trump’s EPA proposed rescinding the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a pillar of US climate policy for 15 years. How did they do it? By using a 150-page disinformation document that distorts climate science & parrots fossil fuel talking points. UCS’s Carlos Martinez breaks down their tactics.
Do you have questions for our climate team? Join our Instagram Live today at 12pm ET, or send your questions here!
CARTOON OF THE MONTH: Coming soon to a community near you… whether you asked for it or not...
In her new blog, UCS’s Shana Udvardy examines the uncertain future of FEMA’s pre-disaster preparedness program.
A new report written by climate science deniers hand-picked by Trump Energy Secretary Wright is packed with cherry-picked data and is being used to dismantle climate protections—to the benefit of polluters.
Join us TOMORROW and every Wednesday⬇️💆
6/ Secretary Kennedy’s reckless and anti-science actions not only threaten public health – they also leave tens of thousands of agency employees vulnerable to violence. This is yet another example of how the Trump administration’s attacks on science – and scientists – put us all at risk.
5/ Instead, Secretary Kennedy’s response was delayed and weak. And in the weeks leading up to this incident, he had taken several actions to further dismantle vaccine science and policy at HHS.
