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Why Trump's push for ‘gold-standard science' has researchers alarmed

Why Trump's push for ‘gold-standard science' has researchers alarmed

Washington Post31-05-2025
A new term keeps popping up in messages from Trump administration scientific agencies — a pledge to restore 'gold-standard science.'
Many scientists say the opposite is happening.
The administration's 'MAHA Report,' intended to diagnose the root cause of poor health in American children, was written by Cabinet officials and political appointees, most of whom lack scientific and medical expertise. It included numerous errors, such as garbled references and invented studies. Thousands of grants that went through expert peer review have been terminated because they conflict with political priorities. The administration is proposing to reclassify government officials involved in grantmaking to 'increase career employee accountability,' which critics see as a way to inject politics into science.
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