Week 29 in Science & Technology: Executives Resign from Trump Council; NOAA Report Confirms 2016 Hottest Year on Record

Executives resign from Trump council in wake of Charlottesville response. As of Tuesday, August 15, six executives have resigned from President Trump's American Manufacturing Council as a protest against the President's response to last weekend's violence by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. Merck & Co. CEO, Kenneth Frazier, was the first to resign. Directly citing the President's first weak response to the Charlottesville violence, where a white nationalist killed one counter-protester and injured many more, Frazier stated "America's leaders must honor our fundamental views by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal." (Frazier, who is African American, had been the only person of color on the manufacturing council.) Many executives have been unwilling to oppose Trump on the record, citing fear of retaliation against their businesses. However, after Trump's continued inability to forcefully denounce bigotry, racism, and white supremacy, and his insistence on blaming "both sides", executives from Intel, Under Armour, the Alliance for American Manufacturing, and the AFL-CIO also resigned their council positions. These were not the first business advisors to leave because of opposition to Trump's actions. In June, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Disney CEO Bob Iger both resigned from Trump's advisory councils in protest of Trump's decision to leave the Paris accords on climate change; Uber's former CEO Travis Kalanick resigned his advisory role in February because of Trump's immigration orders. However, many CEOs remain on Trump's councils, making one wonder: what would it take to actually make them leave?... READ MORE

Week 28 in Science & Technology: Trump Policies Threaten Environment; Labor Department Seeks Comments on Overtime Rule; Congress on Recess (Check Out Our Guide)

Researchers concerned about border wall's impact on endangered species. Before leaving for the August recess, the House approved $1.6 billion in funding for the Trump administration's proposed border wall, a move that has worried conservation biologists who believe the project will hurt efforts to recover endangered species, including the jaguar. A recovery plan for the jaguar released last year requires connectivity across the border to rebuild the population. In an interview with Science magazine, Sergio Avila, a conservation scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, said "[As conservation researchers,] we see beyond borders. The way we see conservation does not stop at a political border just because our interests stop there." Environmental and social justice groups are holding demonstrations along the current wall in southern Texas from August 12-13 to call attention to the environmental and social impacts of the wall. The action follows a July incident at Texas's National Butterfly Center, when staffers at the private wildlife sanctuary discovered a work crew clearing vegetation on their property in unannounced preparation for wall construction.... READ MORE

Week 27 in Science & Technology: House Passes “Minibus” Appropriations Bill Before Recess; More Examples Emerge of Trump Administration Disarray and Abuse of Power

House "minibus" appropriations bill would boost military, cut science. On Thursday, July 27, the House approved its FY18 "minibus" appropriations bill for defense, energy, and water. The bill includes cuts that, while less severe than those proposed by the President, still fall heavily on energy programs. These include a 47% cut to the budget for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Trump had proposed 69%), and elimination of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which funds research in new energy technologies. However, the bill is expected to face opposition in the Senate, which supports higher levels of funding for the Department of Energy (DOE). Also, the House bill would exceed current limits on defense spending, possibly triggering sequestration. Senate Democrats are likely to object to another provision of the minibus bill: $1.6 billion for Trump's proposed border wall.... READ MORE

Week 26 in Science & Technology: Trump Nominates Non-Scientist to Be USDA Science Chief; Appropriations Advance in House and Senate

RISE Stronger has teamed up 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition to launch an exciting op-ed writing campaign. Join us, and speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that improve our society in general. Learn more here. USDA chief scientist nominee has no science background. President Trump has nominated Sam Clovis, a former adviser to the Trump campaign, to serve as the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, which is the chief scientist position at the USDA. Clovis, a former business administration professor at Morningside College, holds an MBA and degrees in political science and public administration, but has neither a degree nor experience in agricultural science. Clovis also describes himself as a skeptic of human-caused climate change. The Union of Concerned Scientists has stated that this pick is, in fact, illegal and does not comply with federal statute, which states that the nominee should be a scientist with "specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics". Major farm groups have supported Clovis's nomination, but former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) CEO Rush Holt expressed concern. Glickman stated, "Not to have someone with a scientific background in that position is going to be challenging for them."... READ MORE

Week 25 in Science & Technology: Trump Nominates Energy Undersecretary, but Administration Science Staffing Struggles Continue

RISE Stronger has teamed up 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition to launch an exciting op-ed writing campaign. Join us, and speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that improve our society in general. Learn more here. Trump nominates Wall Street executive to be DOE Undersecretary for Science. On Tuesday, July 11, President Trump nominated Paul Dabbar to be Undersecretary for Science at the Department of Energy (DOE). Currently Managing Director for Mergers and Acquisition at J.P. Morgan, Dabbar's nomination adds to President Trump's nominees for key administrative positions drawn from Wall Street banks and industry. Dabbar currently serves on the DOE Environmental Management Advisory Board. Previously, the role of Undersecretary of Science was tasked with overseeing the $5 billion budget allocated to the Office of Science, while also providing input on other DOE research and development for renewable, fossil fuel, and nuclear energy technologies. However, the role has not been clearly defined in the current administration, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry has not yet made clear how the DOE will be structured under his leadership.... READ MORE

RISE Science & Technology Group has added the call to action Op-Ed Project: Building a Better Society Through Science .

Week 24 in Science & Technology: Internet Users to Speak Up for Net Neutrality on July 12; House Appropriators Move to Cut Science Budgets

Net Neutrality Day of Action this Wednesday, July 12. To protest Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposals to allow Internet providers to throttle Internet speeds based on content, some of the world's most heavily trafficked Internet sites are taking part in this Wednesday's Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality. Participants, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Dropbox, and Spotify, will encourage their users to contact the FCC and their members of Congress directly to voice their opposition to the erosion of a free and open Internet. In January 2012, Internet companies rallied users against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and support for the legislation effectively vanished.... READ MORE

Week 23 in Science & Technology: Science Appropriations Advance in House; OSTP Science Division Reported to Be Closed

Appropriations bills advance in House; Republicans reject largest Trump cuts to science but make plenty of their own. The first appropriations bills for next year's budget (FY18) began coming out of House appropriations subcommittees last week, including bills that cover several of the scientific agencies. For the most part, House appropriators are ignoring President Trump's most egregious requests for deep budget cuts, with spending at agencies mostly held at roughly the same levels at the current year (FY17). However, House Republicans have made cuts to some key scientific programs and to scientific budgets overall (see below). Also, appropriations bills covering the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others, have not been released yet, and some these are likely to be more contested. After passing their subcommittees, these appropriations bills will still have to be passed by the full House. The Senate will also have its versions, which will have to be reconciled with the House versions before going to the President. It is likely that the appropriations process could stretch on for many more months, including past October 1, when FY18 begins. The House and Senate have not yet passed budget resolutions, which set overall spending levels, and the appropriations process in the Senate is expected to proceed more slowly than in the House. Here is how scientific agencies have fared in the appropriations process so far:... READ MORE

Week 22 in Science & Technology: EPA Cuts Science Advisers as White House Hosts “Tech Week”

Much of the attention last week was again on efforts to rush Trumpcare through the Senate, though after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis estimating that the bill would cause 22 million more Americans to become uninsured, Republicans have scrapped their plans to try to pass the bill before July 4th. Here's what has been happening in science and technology policy in the meantime. EPA axes 38 science advisers, cancels panel meetings. It emerged last week that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not renew the appointments of 38 members of the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) whose first term will expire in August. The BOSC advises the EPA's Office of Research and Development on scientific research. The office's leader, Acting Assistant Administrator Robert Kavlock, delivered the news in emails to BOSC members last week. These 38, combined with the nine advisors dismissed in May, mean that only 11 advisors remain, with no committee chairs among them. This action led the Office to cancel all planned meetings until new appointments can be made. Typically, first term advisors are renewed for a second three-year term, and the move worries many concerned about the quality—and the future—of EPA science. Peter Meyer, an economist who resigned in protest last month, recently said in an interview with the journal Science that "This says to me that they do not want objective science."... READ MORE

Week 21 in Science & Technology: White House Hosts “Tech Week” as Budget Hearings Continue

While much attention this week is on Senate Republicans' secretive efforts to draft health care legislation that could take health insurance from millions of Americans (and which will apparently be revealed this Thursday), here is what has been happening this week in science and technology policy.

"Tech Week" begins at White House. On Monday, June 19, CEOs from several major technology companies were at the White House for a series of private brainstorming sessions, followed by a public event. This inaugural meeting of the American Technology Council kicks off what is being billed as "Tech Week" at the White House. The week features just two events, and it is unclear what policy outcomes, if any, will result from the meetings. On Monday, there was general agreement on the non-controversial need to update government IT infrastructure. However, despite major concerns in the technology community, the attendees failed to press Trump on his most controversial policies, including the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and his travel ban and other immigration policies. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, withdrew his participation after Trump announced his decision on Paris earlier this month, but the CEOs of Apple, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Oracle, and Qualcomm, among others, were in attendance, choosing not to take such a principled stand.... READ MORE

Week 20 in Science & Technology: Top Science Posts Remain Unfilled; Congress Holds Budget Hearings

Trump continues to leave science posts unfilled. Whether by default or design, the Trump administration's attitude toward science and technology vacillates between indifference and outright hostility. As a case in point, a recent Washington Post analysis finds that as of June 6, President Trump has announced nominees for only seven of the 46 high-level science and technology posts that require Senate confirmation, ensuring that the vast majority of key positions will remain vacant for the foreseeable future. The President lacks ready access to scientific advice, as the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) remains understaffed and without a director, and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) remains empty. This lack of S&T advice has real-world consequences, such as Trump's recently announced decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord, dramatic proposed cuts to scientific programs, and a host of other worrying developments.... READ MORE

Week 19 in Science & Technology: Trump Announces US Withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord, Against Advice of Science and Technology Communities

Jun 5, 2017

Trump to Withdraw US From Paris Climate Accord. On Thursday, June 1, President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord, the world's first comprehensive climate agreement. The pact is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the ability of nations to adapt to climate change. As of today, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, and 148 have ratified it. President Trump dubiously claimed that the accord was economically unfair to American workers and would hurt competitiveness, as he grossly misrepresented the US's commitment to the Paris agreement and relied on arguments that were misleading, inaccurate, and untruthful. Trump purported to pull out of the international deal in order to focus on creating manufacturing jobs in America, but, due to growth in the renewable energy sector, his move may actually cost the US jobs.... READ MORE

Week 18 in Science & Technology: Trump Science Spending Cuts Would Be Dire, Supreme Court Limits Patent Shopping

Trump's FY18 Budget Would Severely Cut Scientific Programs. On Tuesday, May 23, the Trump administration released its full budget proposal for FY18, which calls for draconian cuts to domestic spending, including to scientific programs. Although Congress is unlikely to include many of these cuts in its final FY18 budget, Trump's budget proposal indicates how little value the administration places on science and the programs that protect our health, environment, and wellbeing. Read more about the proposed cuts to scientific programs here.

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RISE Science & Technology Group has added the call to action RENEW THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON FORENSIC SCIENCE.

RISE Science & Technology Group has added the call to action ​TRUMP & REPUBLICANS TARGET DISMANTLING NET NEUTRALITY - TAKE ACTION.

WEEK 17 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: TRUMP PROPOSES SPENDING CUTS, SENATE MOVES ON DEREGULATION

MAY 23, 2017 8:16 PM EDT

WEEK 16 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: CYBERSECURITY IN THE NEWS AS FCC TO CONSIDER NET NEUTRALITY ROLLBACK

MAY 16, 2017 2:19 PM EDT

WEEK 15 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: HOUSE PASSES TRUMPCARE, FY17 SPENDING BILL ENACTED, EPA TO INCREASE INDUSTRY REPS ON SCIENCE BOARDS

MAY 9, 2017 7:05 PM EDT

House Votes to Strip Health Care From MillionsOn Thursday, May 4, Republicans in the House narrowly passed the American Health Care Act ("Trumpcare"), their attempt to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). If enacted into law, this bill would leave 24 million more people uninsured, while cutting $800 billion in Medicaid funding, providing tax cuts for the wealthy, and revoking guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate is drafting its own bill, which is expected to be different from the House version (if it passes the Senate, the two versions would have to be reconciled, so this legislation faces a long, bumpy road ahead).Trump Signs FY17 Spending BillOn Friday, May 5, President Trump signed a bill funding the government through September. The $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill provides a $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), despite cuts proposed by Trump. Read more about scientifi... READ MORE

WEEK 14 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: SCIENCE FUNDING SURVIVES FY17, BUT CLIMATE SCIENCE AND NET NEUTRALITY UNDER ATTACK

MAY 2, 2017 8:37 PM EDT

WEEK 13 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: WEEK OF ACTION FOLLOWS MARCH FOR SCIENCE AS SHUTDOWN THREAT LOOMS

APR 25, 2017 11:20 PM EDT

WEEKS 11-12 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: EPA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENTS AS ANTI-SCIENCE TRENDS CONTINUE

APR 18, 2017 6:57 PM EDT

WEEK 10 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS TARGET ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

APR 4, 2017 5:18 PM EDT

WEEK 9 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: THREATS TO PRIVACY AND ATTACKS ON CLIMATE, EARTH, AND SPACE SCIENCE

MAR 27, 2017 4:50 PM EDT

WEEK 8 IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES SEVERE CUTS TO SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS

MAR 20, 2017 6:14 PM EDT

President's Budget ProposalOn Thursday, March 16th, the Trump Administration introduced its initial budget proposal for FY2018, proposing a $54-billion hike in defense spending, while gutting domestic discretionary spending, including scientific programs. The budget landed with a thud on Capitol Hill, and elicited deep concerns from the scientific community. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) warned that "The Trump Administration's proposed budget would cripple the science and technology enterprise through short-sighted cuts to discovery science programs and critical mission agencies alike." Although ultimately Congress sets the federal budget, and much of this proposal stands little chance of being enacted as is, this budget outline provides a clear illustration of the Administration's priorities--and science is apparently not one of them.This so-called "skinny budget" is an initial outline of the President's proposed budget, and a full proposal is expec... READ MORE

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