‘Now is Not the Time for Despair’ — How Scientists Can Take a Stand Against Political Interference

Resistance is rising against the assault on science, the environment and marginalized communities by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Battles are starting to play out in courts, but these cannot be the only sites of resistance. A broader, more inclusive defence of science is needed.

I have felt the impacts of political assaults. In 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit my homeland, Puerto Rico, and killed thousands of people, the first Trump administration denied the death toll and delayed the provision of US$20 billion in disaster aid. And, last month, a programme I run at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania — to help undergraduates from all backgrounds gain research experience — was among thousands of US National Science Foundation grants branded as promoting “woke” diversity propaganda by Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas).