A New Way to Uncover How Science Is Under Attack

The federal government is witnessing an unprecedented threat to science, which is nearly overwhelming. In response, a new system has been developed to monitor and clarify these developments, analyzing both individual incidents and broader trends.

Recently, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) introduced an interactive tool that highlights the number of science attacks and potential violations of scientific integrity under the second Trump administration. UCS reports 576 attacks and 188 potential violations between January 20, 2025, and June 29, 2026.

The Attacks on Science Tracker is a fully accessible analytical platform supported by a rigorous methodology. It serves as a public record of federal science being politicized, starting from the second Trump administration and continuing indefinitely. It vividly demonstrates how these actions not only attack science but also impact everyone’s safety and health, particularly in areas like climate science and medical information. It further illustrates how passing the Scientific Integrity Act could prevent many of these attacks.

Introducing the Attacks on Science Tracker

The UCS Attacks on Science Tracker represents the outcome of a concerted effort over several months, involving numerous contributors, to refine the Center for Science and Democracy’s methodology for tracking science attacks. This initiative was a response to the second Trump administration’s systematic and intense assault on federal scientific systems and democracy. 

Since 2001, the Center has documented science attacks and advocated for scientific integrity protections, continuing this work through research, community engagement, and policy advocacy. The Tracker and its methodology support these efforts both within and outside UCS.

The tool enables anyone interested in science to use its interactive features, comprehensive data, and transparent methodology to hold officials accountable, document historical and future harms, and advocate for policies based on evidence and scientific integrity. These elements are vital for a healthy democracy that protects all its citizens.

We need the Scientific Integrity Act

Scientific integrity protections are crucial because they ensure that science remains free from political, corporate, and financial pressures. These policies allow federal scientists to conduct and communicate research on issues like toxic chemicals, vaccine safety, and climate change without fear of alteration or censorship. Independent science ensures that the public and policymakers receive comprehensive information, enabling decisions based on the best available evidence.

A key aspect of the new Attacks on Science Tracker and its methodology is its ability to identify which documented attacks are potential scientific integrity violations. This data and its visualizations can be used to advocate for scientific integrity protections and promote the passage of the Scientific Integrity Act.

Not every attack on science qualifies as a scientific integrity violation, but the two are connected. “Attacks on science” is an umbrella term covering all the ways officials politicize science.

In the newly released Attacks on Science Tracker, attacks are categorized into 11 differenttypes of attacks to illustrate how political interference with science occurs.

Enacting and enforcing the Scientific Integrity Act could have prevented about a third of the attacks on science documented since January 20, 2025. This represents nearly 190 cases of political interference affecting climate science, equity, the environment, and public safety.

How we categorize attacks

Our data categorizes potential scientific integrity violations as specific types of science attacks. These types are based on the most recent text of the Scientific Integrity Act, which, while not explicitly defining violations, lists examples of political interference that the bill aims to prevent.

We use the bill text to determine which attack types might be scientific integrity violations. However, discrepancies may exist between our definitions and those in the bill. Thus, our data should inform but not definitively determine the presence of a scientific integrity violation.

Based on the bill’s latest text, we classify five (out of 11) attack types as potential scientific integrity violations. The Trump administration has provided numerous examples of each type since the inauguration, all of which undermine the science and policy frameworks we rely on.

Altering Study Results: This refers to situations where elected or political officials edit, misrepresent, or manipulate a federal or federally funded scientific study. Between January 20, 2025, and June 29, 2026, 38 such potential violations have been documented by the Attacks on Science Tracker. For instance, the Trump administration altered over 100 federal datasets related to health and safety to align with its executive orders. Additionally, a political official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence urged analysts to redo an analysis conflicting with the White House’s priorities.

Altering study results or the underlying data constitutes blatant politicization, which can undermine the reliability and accuracy of the study. It complicates the ability to make informed decisions in the short term and can alter the scientific record in the long term, affecting future research.

Censorship: This involves elected or political officials stopping or controlling federal scientists’ public communication. The Attacks on Science Tracker notes 26 instances of censorship, including additional political reviews of projects before publication in journals, restricted communication on prohibited topics, and a halt on health agency communication after the second inauguration.

When communication is restricted or halted, federal scientists may be unable to provide timely and accurate scientific information, particularly concerning public health issues like emerging diseases or cancer treatments.

Data Accessibility: This refers to elected or political officials eliminating federal data or making it less accessible. As of June 29, 2026, 58 such attacks have been documented. Efforts to remove mentions of transgender people from federal websites are a prime example, as well as instances where the Environmental Protection Agency removed climate change materials.

Removing taxpayer-funded information from federal websites alters the resources available to researchers, decision-makers, and communities, and suppresses information contrary to the administration’s priorities, which can undermine confidence in scientific facts.

Data Collection: This encompasses instances where officials interfere with or halt data collection for scientific studies. The Attacks on Science Tracker records 87 such incidents, including the Trump administration canceling research on pipeline safety and an annual survey on US food insecurity, citing “politicization.”

Halting data collection hampers the government’s ability to assess topics accurately and allocate resources effectively. Ignoring problems can be a pretext for not addressing them, and canceling ongoing or resource-intensive studies is wasteful.

Restrictions from Professional Engagement: This involves officials canceling federally sponsored events, barring scientists from attending, or investigating their involvement. The Tracker notes 20 such attacks. Shortly after Trump’s return to office in January 2025, travel and grant review panels were indefinitely paused in health agencies and the National Science Foundation. Furthermore, the CDC canceled a workshop during a bird flu outbreak.

Such restrictions can have extensive, if less visible, effects. Indefinite pauses in grant reviews jeopardize projects, jobs, and careers, and barring federal participation in conferences can hinder collaboration and delay critical information dissemination.

We’re not just watching—we’re pushing back

The Attacks on Science Tracker offers detailed documentation of political interference in federal science and provides numerous opportunities for advocacy of evidence-based policies and scientific integrity protections. This advocacy has recently brought the Scientific Integrity Act back to the Senate after seven years. You can help maintain momentum by:

• Familiarizing yourself with the Attacks on Science Tracker and its interactive features. UCS is hosting a webinar tomorrow, on July 1 (4-5p ET), to support federal science protection efforts. During the webinar, I’ll introduce the Tracker and demonstrate how it can be used to advocate for scientific integrity protections, while my colleagues will provide updates on the Scientific Integrity Act. Join us!
• Urging your Congresspeople to co-sponsor the Scientific Integrity Act, which can help prevent the types of attacks detailed here. Use this easy link to contact your Representatives in the House, and this link to contact your Senators.
• Sharing information about the Tracker on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
• Keeping informed of UCS’s other advocacy actions by regularly visiting our website.