Part 7 of “The State of the Science 1 Year On,” a report from Eos and AGU
The State of the Science 1 Year On
• Executive Summary
• Climate Change and Energy
• Health and Safety
• The Federal Workforce
• Academia and Research
• Environment
• Concluding Remarks
• Joint Report
• Joint Report PDF
• Tracking Science Policy Decisions and Approaches
For the scientific community, the swaths of change made by the Trump administration have been threaded with layoffs and reductions in force across agencies, organizations, and universities. The administration’s prerogatives have resulted in persistent questions about organizational objectives, professional processes and procedures, and, ultimately, career stability.
For the global scientific enterprise and the place of the United States in it, outcomes of the Trump administration’s radical changes of policy are themselves uncertain. Fewer job opportunities and altered approaches to education and immigration may mean fewer American and international scientists will choose to work in the United States. Loosened standards for pollution may have far-reaching impacts for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the earth on which we stand.
Many of the administration’s policy changes and budget cuts have not yet been implemented, and its actions have not gone unchallenged. Many constituents are encouraging their representatives to support science more strongly as Congress develops a budget for fiscal year 2026.
Still, the future of federal career paths, funding, and climate-related legislation likely lies in the courts, not the ballot box. To that end, professional and labor organizations, schools, states and regional groups, and even individuals have filed lawsuits to force the administration to reconsider policies and RIFs that may reduce the efficacy and immediacy of science in the United States.
Consult Eos’s Science Policy Tracker to stay current with the latest news concerning science and the scientific community in the United States and around the world.
Speak up for Earth and space sciences with AGU’s Science Policy Resource Center:
— Find opportunities and programs
— Contact your legislators
— Coordinate with scientists and stakeholders
—Eos (@eos.org)