President Trump seeks to control science fundingExBulletin

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought appears before the House Budget Committee at the U.S. Capitol on April 15. The budget office recently proposed a rule change that would give political appointees more decision-making power over research grants. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images .

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The Trump administration is seeking to change bureaucratic rules that could allow greater political influence over billions of dollars in federal research grants. The new rule would have a broad impact on research areas including housing and transportation. Funding for health and science would be most affected.

“Although the research enjoys bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress and trust in science is above 75 percent nationwide, the Trump administration appears more determined than ever to mortally wound the nation’s scientific enterprise,” wrote Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science magazine, in an editorial on the proposal.

Published in the Federal Register on May 29, experts say the proposed changes would both codify the administration’s strategies to dismantle certain fields of study in the United States and give it new authority to “advance the President’s policy priorities.”

In science, the impacts could ripple across research areas as diverse as public health, vaccine testing, biotechnology, social and behavioral sciences, and climate science.

The proposal inspires advocacy and scientific groups across the country.

“It would be the end of American science as we know it,” said Cole Donovan, a political analyst with the group Stand up for Science that organized to protest the change. “We’re going to make sure this doesn’t disappear quietly into the night.”

End of peer review as a reference

Since the period after World War II, the American scientific community has relied heavily on a peer review system to provide feedback on studies and maintain the integrity of research. The same goes for federal science agencies when evaluating research funding proposals. Typically, agencies adopt recommendations from independent advisory committees on issues such as vaccination schedules, environmental standards or census methodology.

Although not legally binding, in practice peer review has had considerable influence and has become an integral part of government standards.

“While it is true that peer review panels have historically been viewed as advisory by agencies, it was typically the combination of the peer review and a non-political career expert at an agency that made the decision whether or not to make an award,” Donovan said.

Under the new rule, peer review would not be eliminated, but politicians – not necessarily scientists – would be required to review grants before grants are awarded. Critics say this effectively gives politicians veto power over projects, even when they have passed scientific peer review.

The reaction from scientists and advocates was swift and vehement.

“If this type of regulation or rule-breaking becomes the norm, then government itself will cease to function,” historian Tim Snyder said Tuesday during an online forum hosted by Stand Up for Science. Snyder studies the former Soviet Union and notes that the Trump administration’s proposed rule change reminds him of “late Stalinism.”

“We wonder if we want to repeat this Stalinist situation where it’s people who don’t know anything about science who make the decisions about what’s going to move forward,” Snyder said.

Others have compared this era to a period in the United States in the 1950s when government officials scrutinized people’s ideology and politics rather than their qualifications.

“Proposed rule would replace scientific merit with McCarthy-era politics,” reads the headline of a statement from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The rule change was proposed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, led by Director Russell Vought. Administration officials say the rule change is in the interest of efficiency. In a statement, an OMB spokesperson wrote that it would “enhance agencies’ ability to identify and respond to waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Critics say there is no evidence that the existing peer review system requires such radical changes and that it is dangerous to empower political actors to make decisions about science.

“When we design a study of a new cancer treatment, do you want Russell Vought – who is not a scientist – to determine which immunotherapy is ready to enter a phase three trial?” said Elizabeth Ginexi, a former National Institutes of Health employee who spoke out against the proposed changes.

In addition to giving the administration increased authority, the proposed rule formally prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion or gender research as grant conditions, and broadly prohibits international scientific collaborations.

“We are involved in a huge international collaboration,” said Donovan of Stand Up for Science. “Much of the work considered high impact relies on international collaboration.”

Limited role in congressional response

Several Democratic lawmakers spoke at Tuesday’s meeting in an effort to rally public support.

“When promising research is denied because it does not fit the political agenda of the day, the American people will pay the price,” said U.S. Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia.

“The question is not whether politics will influence research under this proposal,” the Democratic lawmaker added. “That’s the point.”

However, beyond public urgings for action, Congress is unlikely to take action on the rule change.

The proposed rule is open for public comment until July 13. After that date, OMB will review these comments before deciding whether to issue a final version.

In the event the law passes, Donovan said, he expects it would “almost certainly” be challenged in court.

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