CSLDF responds to Trump administration’s attempts to gut protections for federal scientists
Last week, CSLDF joined four other organizations in opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create a “Schedule Policy/Career.” If enacted, the rule would strip civil service protections from many federal workers – including federal researchers – and imperil critical scientific and environmental policies that benefit all Americans.
Initially introduced via executive order as “Schedule F,” the proposed rule would reclassify as many as hundreds of thousands of federal jobs into political appointments. Once reclassified, those federal workers would be denied employment protections mandated by Congress, including rights of appeal for wrongful termination, union rights, and whistleblower protections. In other words, once reclassified under the rule, the President would have the ability to fire any federal employee who does not follow an executive branch directive.
In this second Trump administration, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on science, including the purging of federal researchers and the shuttering of scientific agencies. For over 140 years, America’s federal workforce has been the backbone of our democracy; apolitical civil servants provide the research and expertise that guide America’s scientific and medical progress. There is no room for improper political influence in the federal civil service. CSLDF is proud to co-author a comment to the Federal Register, which not only advocates for the continued protection of federal science, but details many of the fallacies and illegalities within the proposed rule.
As always, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund will never stop fighting to protect the scientific endeavor.
CSLDF offers a free series of guides for scientific integrity policies at the U.S. federal scientific agencies. We also offer guides concerning advocacy and activism, intended to inform scientists and researchers about their First Amendment rights. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at lawyer@csldf.org.