April update: Together, we can save ourselves
An anti-science blitz…
On Inauguration Day 2025, Trump issued a blitz of executive orders that set an alarming tone for what was to come—and sparked a growing opposition in the streets, in town halls, and in the courts. It also provided an opportunity to prepare for the legal battles that would ensue with the return of such a virulently anti-science administration.
Since his return to office, we have documented 61 attacks on science in the Silencing Science Tracker, easily outpacing the 39 anti-science actions during his first 100 days in 2017. While these new attacks are similar to those from Trump’s first term, they have been more widespread and far more destructive. In just three months, Trump has:
- Laid off thousands of federal scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and more.
- Deleted or altered data and information from federal websites.
- Appointed dangerous anti-science ideologues to high-level positions normally held by scientists or public health experts.
- Attempted to silence federal scientists.
This moment serves as a critical reminder that we can’t be passive. We must document these outrages, continue to build grassroots efforts to resist, and encourage our elected officials to do the same. We must continue to leverage the power of the judicial system to slow and eventually stop the carnage.
Now more than ever, protecting science and scientific integrity is vital, especially if we hope to address threats such as climate change, global pandemics, and misinformation.
… and our response
At CSLDF, we’re meeting this moment by increasing our own ability to hold anti-science actors accountable through the legal system. We have revamped our membership model, which will strengthen our ability to take legal action on behalf of scientists and ensure that CSLDF members are deeply connected to our mission.
We have also added new team members to help us meet the increasing demand for our legal support to scientists. We recently hired another staff attorney, Jacob Metz-Lerman, and brought the lawyer Lauren Beglin on board to help with special projects. Jane Zelikova, co-founder of 500 Women Scientists, and Peter Fontaine, chair of the Environmental Practice and co-chair of the Climate Change Team at Cozen O’Connor, both joined our Board of Directors in the last few months. We are grateful to have them all on board at this urgent time.
None of this is possible without our allies in this fight. If you would like to join us, please consider supporting CSLDF.
Please note that things are moving very quickly and may have changed by the time you read this newsletter.
News & Updates
April 23, 2025 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The second Trump administration is significantly more emboldened than his first, and that’s evident in at least two of his new tactics: mass terminations of federal employees and freezing congressionally authorized funding for climate action and infrastructure upgrades. “[Trump’s] first administration was definitely not pro-science,” says Lauren Kurtz, the executive director of CSLDF. “There was a lot of censorship, there was scientific misrepresentation, grants were cut, people were terminated—but the extent to which it’s happening now is much more extreme.”
She Inspired Laws to Hold the Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable. Now She’s a Target.
March 28, 2025 | The New York Times
A key player in the campaign to stop the effort to hold fossil fuel companies financially accountable for damages is Christopher Horner, “the nation’s most prolific user of FOIA and its state equivalents to go after anyone fighting climate change who works for a public entity,” said Michael Gerrard, an expert in climate law at Columbia University.