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Trump's Interference in NIH and NIST

  • Context: Science 
  • Thread starter Thread starter gleem
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SUMMARY

The Trump administration has rescinded the NIH's Scientific Integrity Policy, originally established by the Biden administration to shield scientists from political influence. This decision undermines the credibility of federal scientific research, particularly in vaccine development. Additionally, the NIST's atomic spectroscopy division is being disbanded, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is being dismantled, contradicting Trump's stated goals of expanding manufacturing. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed barring government scientists from publishing in leading medical journals, further threatening the integrity of scientific discourse.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of federal scientific policies and their implications
  • Familiarity with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • Knowledge of vaccine research and its significance in public health
  • Awareness of the role of scientific journals in disseminating research findings
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the impact of political interference on scientific integrity in federal agencies
  • Explore the history and purpose of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program
  • Investigate the consequences of disbanding the NIST atomic spectroscopy division
  • Learn about the publication policies of major medical journals like The Lancet and JAMA
USEFUL FOR

Researchers, policymakers, public health officials, and anyone interested in the intersection of politics and scientific research integrity.

gleem

gleem

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The NIH has recinded its Scientific Integrity Policy by orders of the president. This policy was instituted by the Biden administration to "protect" scientists from political pressure.
https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-administration-quashes-nih-scientific-integrity-policy

This policy was hardly a protection, though.

Trump may well have eliminated or greatly reduced scientific research within the federal government. Which true scientist wants to work in an organization that dictates the course of their inquiry? And why would anybody want to accept the results of investigations from within that framework? The prime example is vaccine research.

In mindless cuts, the NIST group responsible for maintaining atomic spectroscopy data is being disbanded.
https://www.wired.com/story/nist-doge-layoffs-atomic-spectroscopy/

Additionally, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program administered by NIST is being dismantled because some aspects of it no longer align with the president's programs. MEP centers were established in the 1980s to help small businesses cope with the trade war with Japan. Eliminating some state MEP programs is contrary to Trump's desire to expand manufacturing.

https://www.wired.com/story/nist-trump-manufacturing-extension-partnership/
 
The latest from RFK Jr. He may forbid the publication of government research in leading medical/ scientific journals.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/r...n&cvid=fe17b279243043a7a309845a12f664d0&ei=81
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that he could bar government scientists from publishing in the world’s leading medical journals, instead proposing the creation of “in-house” publications by his agency — the latest in the Trump administration’s attacks on scientific institutions.


“We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA [published by the American Medical Association] and those other journals, because they’re all corrupt,” Kennedy said during an appearance on the “Ultimate Human” podcast. He also described the journals as being under the control of pharmaceutical companies.
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Complete self own of the human race. Top talent will likely move to Canada or Europe and it will take years to draw them back if we ever recover.
 

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