The White House’s new “gold standard science” order would give political appointees power to rewrite, reject, or discipline research they don’t like.
Somini Sengupta reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- A new executive order allows Trump-appointed officials to “correct” and censor federal scientific findings, claiming to restore scientific rigor while sidelining expert review.
- Over 6,000 scientists, academics, and physicians signed a protest letter warning that the order seeks control and undermines independence and trust in research institutions.
- The order threatens research on climate change, DEI-informed science, and worst-case scenario modeling — while invoking language from the open science movement to justify political oversight.
Key quote:
“What’s being demanded here is an unwinding of scientific integrity policies, under the misleading name of ‘Gold Standard Science,’ to serve the values and priorities of the current administration.”
— Union of Concerned Scientists
Why this matters:
On the surface, this May 23 executive order sounds noble: restore the “gold standard” of science. But dig just a little, and there's a mechanism that allows partisan operatives to reject, rewrite, or “correct” federal studies — including those on climate change, pollution, pandemic preparedness, and racial health disparities — without peer review. Think less Apollo moonshot, more Orwellian Ministry of Truth.
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