Biden is taking steps to restore scientific integrity to government actions after several controversies in which advocates say science was sidestepped or ignored by the Trump administration.
Biden this week created a task force to review agency scientific integrity policies. He’s also requiring that all federal research agencies have a chief science officer, and that all agencies have a scientific integrity official.
The steps come after the Trump administration was mired in several controversies, including accusations its COVID-19 policies didn’t always follow science.
The New York Times reported in September that federal guidance stating it wasn’t necessary to test people without COVID-19 symptoms wasn’t written by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists, and was posted online despite objections from government scientists. Politico reported that politically appointed aides have also sought to review and change CDC reports.
Separately, a recent inspector general investigation found that the White House pushed for a correction of a National Weather Service tweet that contradicted then-
President Trump’s assertion that Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was endangering Alabama.
Much more broadly, Trump was criticized for refuting science that humans are contributing to climate change.
Biden has sought to send a signal that his government will listen to scientists on the need to fight climate change and other issues.
... [T]he president directed the top official in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to start the scientific integrity task force. It is to review and publish findings on the effectiveness of scientific integrity policies at government agencies...
President Biden is taking steps to restore scientific integrity to government actions after several controversies in which advocates say science was sidestepped or ignored by the Trump administration.
thehill.com