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President Trump reshapes US research landscape

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Con una serie di ordini esecutivi, Donald Trump smantella le politiche climatiche di Biden e ritira gli Stati Uniti dall'accordo di Parigi. Le agenzie federali scientifiche (EPA, NIH, CDC, FDA, NASA) vengono ristrutturate con nuove nomine orientate alla deregolamentazione. Vengono congelate le assunzioni federali, mentre la revisione delle collaborazioni internazionali potrebbe ridefinire il ruolo USA nella ricerca globale. Immagine: Donald Trump.

Tempo di lettura: 5 mins

20 January 2025 marks a turning point in US science policy, with a series of executive orders drastically redefining the role of federal science and research agencies. A detailed analysis of the documents reveals an approach that fundamentally changes the basis of US climate, energy and biomedical research policy.

This comprehensive list shows the scope and breadth of the first day's interventions, which touch virtually every aspect of the federal government, from foreign policy to national security, from energy to immigration, from administrative reform to social policy.

Energy and climate: a paradigm shift

The energy agenda outlined on 20 January 2025 is articulated through a series of executive orders aimed at dismantling President Biden's policies. 

The centrepiece of this shift is the "Unleashing American Energy" order, which not only rescinds the previous administration's key environmental and climate change regulations, but also dissolves the interagency working group responsible for assessing the social cost of greenhouse gases. 

Particularly significant are the abandonment of the Paris Agreement (Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements) and the elimination of the 'social cost of CO2' as a decision-making tool, which the Trump administration considers an arbitrary obstacle to economic development: previous policies are blamed for creating 'a dangerously inadequate and intermittent energy supply and an increasingly unreliable grid' (Unleashing American Energy).

This emergency narrative is used to justify sweeping interventions. As the executive order points out, 'America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically fueled our Nation's economic prosperity', but this abundance has allegedly been hampered by 'burdensome and ideologically driven regulations' that have 'limited reliable and affordable electricity generation, reduced job creation, and imposed high energy costs on our citizens' (Unleashing American Energy).

The vision also extends to water management, as evidenced by the Putting People Over Fish memorandum, which orders the diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of California, explicitly prioritising human uses over environmental considerations. Similarly, the order Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential aims to unlock Alaska's resources, presenting them as crucial to 'enhancing our nation's economic and national security for generations to come'.

A particularly important element is the approach to offshore wind energy projects. His executive order (Temporary Withdrawal from Offshore Wind Leasing) not only suspends new offshore wind leases, but also initiates a comprehensive review of existing permits. The official reason given is environmental and safety concerns, but the measure could have a crippling effect on the renewables industry. Moreover, this measure is part of a wider strategy to favour fossil fuels over clean energy, as evidenced by the withdrawal of the 'social cost of CO2' calculation and the deregulation of the mining industry.

These orders outline an approach that explicitly prioritises energy development and economic growth over environmental concerns, a clear reversal of the priorities of the previous government. The emergency narrative is used to justify swift and decisive intervention to remove what is perceived as over-regulation in the energy sector. 

Reorganisation of scientific agencies

The reorganisation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be headed by James Payne, includes a major overhaul of environmental impact assessment criteria, removing the 'social cost of CO2' from analyses and removing regulations considered burdensome to energy development. It also significantly streamlines the approval process for energy projects.

As for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the appointment of Jayanta Bhattacharya, Stanford professor of medicine and co-author of the 'Great Barrington Declaration', which was highly critical of the lockdown policy during the H1N1 pandemic, seems to reflect Trump's willingness to radically overhaul federal health policy, particularly in relation to pandemic management. 

David Weldon, a former Republican congressman from Florida and a physician, has been nominated by Trump as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Known for his sceptical views on vaccines and for supporting discredited theories about their link to autism, his appointment has alarmed the scientific community. With no experience in health agency management or infectious diseases, Weldon could have a significant impact on US vaccine policy, especially in conjunction with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has been appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services and is equally critical of vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the leadership of Martin Makary, will have to implement what was stated in the executive order "Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost of Living Crisis": eliminating unnecessary administrative costs and rent-seeking practices that increase health care costs.

With the appointment of Jared Isaacman, the billionaire commander of the Inspiration4 civilian space mission, NASA may be moving more towards the commercialisation of space, with greater reliance on private companies. This could have both positive effects, such as reduced operating costs and accelerated innovation, and negative effects, such as less focus on basic research and climate science. It remains to be seen whether Earth observation programmes, which are crucial for monitoring climate change, will be cut or restructured.

Horizontal measures and impact on research

The executive orders introduce measures that will redefine all agencies across the board. On the personnel front, there is an immediate freeze on federal hiring and the elimination of DEI programmes, accompanied by new performance evaluation criteria. Funding is undergoing a major overhaul, with the suspension of funds tied to President Biden's Anti-Inflation Bill for green energy projects and a reallocation of resources according to new priorities.

One of the potentially most significant aspects of the new science policy is the review of international collaborations, which could follow the 'America First' order. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement could limit US participation in global climate research programmes, and new restrictions on scientific collaboration with China could emerge, especially in sensitive areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and semiconductors. If accompanied by a reduction in funding for joint projects, these measures could significantly alter the US role in global research.

 


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