Inform & Influence 22: Trump Chaos Week 4

Your practical guide to the victories and struggles in Science and Technology (S&T) policy and how to make a difference

After being disappointed this week by the lack of acknowledgment and support for our fellow members of the S&T community who have lost their jobs, I want to thank those who have provided words of support, encouragement, and anger many of us feel about the current crazy chaos.

Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize Winner and S&T Policy Leader in many venues. This is from his op-ed in the New York Times. Please click on his name to read all of this beautifully written and passionateperspective.

"Regardless of their personal views on contentious topics, members of the executive and legislative branches have long seen themselves as caretakers of a precious commodity — the nation’s scientific and technological communities.

Today is very different. Scientists working within the federal government or at federally funded research institutions are wondering how their work can possibly continue. . .?

Perhaps what’s most disheartening is what feels like the absence of widespread opposition to this unraveling."

Monica Bertagnolli, 17th Director of the National Institutes of Health

“To my many colleagues at the National Institutes of Health who will be leaving government service. You are the unsung heroes who drove U.S. progress in biomedical research.

Your hard work and dedication made it possible for brilliant minds to make scientific breakthroughs, for academic institutions to support people and infrastructure in fundamental and clinical sciences, and for communities of people across the country to participate in research to improve health for all.

I hope that you move on from this great institution with your heads held high, knowing that you will be missed and that we are profoundly grateful to you for all that you have given to our society.”

Gretchen Goldman, President, Union of Concerned Scientists

“ To civil servants and experts in government doing their work on behalf of the people, we see you, we thank you and we support you.

Obama/Biden HHS Political Appointeees

“Please know that the time and energy that you have invested in your work does not go unrecognized. We appreciate all your efforts, especially your focus on providing care to those who are struggling. You embody the mission and vision of the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Rob Santos, Former U.S. Census Bureau Director

“Now, a transition of administrations has occurred as part of our republic’s democratic process. Uncertainty and stress abound. Events are unfolding rapidly. Families are suffering. As a nascent former director, please know that I feel your pain. And in all honestly, stormy weather lies ahead. Yet, the Census Bureau’s mission remains as a beacon of hope.”

Renee Wegrzyn, Inaugural Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

“While today started that same way, it ends such that I no longer have the opportunity to serve as the Director of ARPA-H. While this chapter closes, I remain incredibly grateful for the extraordinary privilege of working alongside visionary ARPA-Humans to pursue what once seemed impossible: redefining how we tackle human health and accelerating breakthroughs to improve lives. . . The next steps aren’t impossible. They’re just ARPA-Hard.”

I call on others in S&T leadership positions to make similar statements.? Readers, if you see anything like these quotes that express support for federal workers and others impacted by the challenges, please provide a link to their statements in the comments.?

Trump Chaos Week 4

Much more information is out there now than when I first started the Trump Chaos editions, so I’m going to keep this brief. I do think it is important, though, that we, as an S&T community, understand what is happening beyond the big news already hitting the major news outlets. Here we go…

Chaos Created

• CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Cut
• Censorship of Data, Journal Publications
• Department Of Transportation Grant Community Preferences (page 3; e.g., favor high marriage and birth rates; prohibit? those with vaccine and mask mandates; requires compliance with ICE mandates)
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Mental Health PhD Student Trainees
• Haskell Indian Nations University/Indian Health Services Staff Cut
• National Center for Education Statistics Contract Terminated
• U.S. Digital Corp Ofice Closed

Depressing Departures

• National Archives Leadership
• Senior NIH Staff?
• ARPA-H Director
• U.S. Census Bureau Director
• No-cost Grant Extensions
• Probationary Federal Employees (Less than 1-2 years of service)
• Google Calendar Dates deemed by Google as too DEIA

Although there have been so many of these in just a week, I’m sure there are more I don’t know about. Please add to the comments. Thanks to everyone out there keeping watch and reporting through LinkedIn.

Who IS Helping?

I’d like to shout out to these organizations that are helping the people and data impacted by the Trump Administration's decisions.? I’m sure this is not all, but what I’ve seen on LinkedIn thus far.? This is an evergreen list – that is, I’m updating the list each week rather than just providing new organizations.? I’m also now categorizing them. Please let me know about any others to the comments for those seeking information, help, advice, or counsel.

Putting People First

• AESP: Offering free membership and employment resources (including mentoring) for those laid off at DOE, EPA, or Energy Star. (Side note: I wish AAAS would offer something like this for STEM federal staff, fellows, and interns.)
• American Public Health Association Jobs Database: Now open to all
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Publichealthcareers.org: State and local internships, fellowships, and job opportunities
• Crowdsourced Excel Sheet of People Offering All Kinds of Help, Including Mental Health Support.??
• Environmental Protection Network Federal Employment Resources, Job resources; Connections to EPA Alumni
• Federal Employment Appeals Guide (and other important guidance documents in case they disappear)
• Hiring Coach AI for former USAID staff
• Maryland Workers Impacted by Federal Actions Support Page, Including Information on Unemployment Compensation
• Montgomery County, MD public library system free virtual resume writing workshops Note: Montgomery County (where I used to live) is the home of NIH, NIST, DOE Office of Science (Germantown), and the home to many federal workers.
• Partnership for Public Service:? Useful explainers and weekly webinars by people in the know.
• P.S.314 Open Forum Social Impact Sector Job Opportunities
• SeaAhead Blue Tech Job Board: Ocean Technology Job Board and Talent Database
• Union of Concerned Scientists Resources for Federal Scientists
• Severance Pay Guidance
• Unemployment Compensation for Former Probationary Employee Guidance
• USAID Community Support: A community-led, crowd-sourced list of coaches and resources, including job boards, for professionals in the social impact sector.?
• USAID to Corporate Roadmap via Mariela Vazquez
• USAID Resource Hub, in development
• Water Environment Federation Job Hub
• Work for America: Civic Match is a talent-matching program designed for outgoing federal government workers and campaign staff who want to continue their careers in public service.

Taking Action through Analysis or Action

• Status of Lawsuits Opposed to Trump/Musk Actions (New York Times, Updated regularly)
• American Association of University Professors Statement Against Anticipatory Obedience
• American Public Health Association: One of the leading organizations that filed a lawsuit to challenge the OMB freeze of federal grants. They are also collecting information from fellow organizations on how this freeze impacts (or may later impact) your work.
• Democrat House Committee on Science, Space & Technology Science & Tech Whistleblower Portal
• Democrat House Committee on Natural Resources Waste, Fraud and AbuseTipLine (See also this LinkedIn Post)
• USAID Stop Work: Useful guidance on data on how to respond to Trump administration activities impacting USAID.
• Michal Shinnar Legal FAQs for federal employees.? Go to the “featured” on her LinkedIn page to see her responses regarding provisional appointments, deferred & other issues.? Be sure to look at the comments, as well as legal folks rarely agree on anything, because that’s how they fight actions in the courts.

Saving the Nation’s Data?

• Census Reporter: An independent project to make it easier for journalists to write stories using information from the U.S. Census bureau
• Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool: An archived version of what was removed online and from the Wayback Machine
• COSSA Action Center
• Data Lumos: A crowd-sourced repository for government data.?
• Data Foundation? SAFE-Track (Secure Anonymous Federal Evidence, Data and Analysis Tracking): Encrypted portal for confidentially documenting changes to federal evidence and data activities.
• Data Rescue Project
• End of Term Web Archive: Copies of US Government websites captured at the end of presidential administrations.
• Environmental Data & Governance Initiative: Information about data rescue efforts, with links to datasets.
• Flourish & Thrive Labs; Anonymous Data Guru: Saving key data sources from the CDC servers.
• Harvard Dataverse: Extracted Data Contributions Data uploaded by the Climate Change and Health Research Coordinating Center (CAFE). Primarily data on health and the environment.
• Internet Archive: CDC datasets uploaded before January 28, 2025
• IPUMS: Global census and survey data, including from the US Census Bureau.
• Public Environmental Data Project: A coalition preserving and providing public access to federal environmental data. Recent additions include the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index and Environmental Justice Index, the Council on Environmental Quality EJScorecard, and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Economic data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

Thank YOU for Reading!

I am Dr. Deborah D. Stine, the founder of the?Science & Technology (S&T) Policy Academy.?The academy offers organizational workshops, “done for you” policy analysis, and career, leadership, and new business coaching services.

I spent over 30 years in Washington DC, working for the Obama White House as executive director of the President’s Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), an S&T policy specialist at the Congressional Research Service (a think tank for Congress), and 18 years at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, directing studies on innumerable S&T policy topics.

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You can also learn more about the services offered by the Science and Technology and Policy Academy, including consulting, drafting analysis and position statements, coaching, and workshops.? To learn more about science and technology policy analysis, you might want to take a look at my 2024 book, From Expertise to Impact: A Practical Guide to Informing And Influencing Science and Technology Policy (only $9.99 on Amazon).

If you want to read past editions of this newsletter to catch up on all the latest S&T policy happenings, go here.

See you soon for yet more science and technology policy news and insights. Debbie