A strong and sustained U.S. investment in independent science has brought the nation significant economic progress, science-based public policy, and unequaled global scientific leadership. As the country faces greater scientific competition abroad, a robust federal scientific workforce is even more critical.

Although science is rarely the only factor driving public policy, scientific input should always be weighed from an impartial perspective. Unfortunately, numerous independent investigations have documented the suppression, manipulation, and distortion of federal science before it enters the policy process. Political interference in science has indeed become pervasive.

Furthermore, recent changes in the structure of the federal government impair the ability of federal scientists to fulfill their responsibility to serve their agencies and the public interest.
Federal scientists find themselves under growing surveillance and control. Administration officials have curtailed public access to scientific information, and subtle systemic changes have sidelined scientists and advisory committees that previously helped inform the policy-making process. In too many cases, these officials use tainted science to justify misguided policies.

The consequences of these practices are profound. Policy makers cannot make informed decisions without access to the best available scientific information. Even worse, the misuse of science threatens our nation's ability to respond to increasingly complex public health, environmental, and security challenges. Such interference significantly decreases the effectiveness of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency. It risks demoralizing the federal scientific workforce and raises the possibility of lasting harm to the federal scientific enterprise. And it makes our government less accountable to the citizens it is supposed to serve.

To restore scientific integrity to federal policy making, we need to open up the decisionmaking process to scrutiny. We need to protect the ability of federal scientists to fulfill their responsibilities without interference. To do so, Congress and the president must institutionalize the independence of the federal scientific community and its advice.

Chapter 1 of this report briefly explores the ways that the administration has directly misused science. Chapter 2 delves into the systemic changes that have made it more difficult for federal scientists to serve the public interest. Chapter 3 prescribes specific steps needed to bring scientific integrity and accountability back to federal decision making.

This report is intended to be illustrative, not exhaustive. Improving the way that science informs the decision-making process will require the persistent and energetic engagement of Congress, the executive branch, the scientific community, and the public.

For more information, download the executive summary or full report.