Science Forward

After years of attacks on science, we need to restore and strengthen the role of federal scientists and science for the public good.

Federal agencies need to make decisions that follow the best available science and are free from political manipulation. Policies that affect the public’s health and well-being should be made with our best interests in mind, not the interests of politicians or their donors. And communities should have ample opportunity for input into those decisions.

To make this kind of science-based policy possible, we also need to strengthen the scientific workforce. Agencies need to revitalize recruitment of early career scientists and scientists from historically underrepresented backgrounds into federal government positions.

The UCS Center for Science and Democracy is bringing together policymaking expertise, scientific knowledge, and community voices in order to ensure that scientists at federal agencies can do their work without politics getting in the way, that agencies have the scientific workforce they need to serve the public, and that community members who have a stake in decisions have a seat at the table.

1. Advocating for a restored and strengthened scientific workforce, with a revitalized recruitment pipeline to bring new scientists into the federal government.

2. Supporting the passage of the Scientific Integrity Act and holding the Biden administration accountable for promises made in its presidential memo on scientific integrity, including the institution of strong scientific integrity policies at federal agencies.

3. Highlighting the connections between the federal scientific enterprise and the well-being of communities around the country, as well as encouraging more public participation in agency rule-making processes.