President Donald Trump on May 23 signed an order that directs federal agencies to engage in what the White House described as “gold standard” science.
The order requires agencies to make sure the science on which they rely is reproducible, transparent, and subject to unbiased peer review, the White House said.
The research in question must also be free of conflicts of interest, officials said.
“In recent decades, we’ve seen a decline in disruptive research, disruptive scientific patents and papers, diminishing returns on investments in biomedical research, and serious cases of irreproducibility fraud, and misconduct in the scientific enterprise,” Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters in a call. “In addition, policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and woke DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] initiatives have seriously damaged the American public’s trust and confidence in our scientists and the way taxpayer money funds their important work.”…