Science vs. Politics: White House Panel Seeks To Separate Fact From Fiction

The White House on Monday formally launched its Scientific Integrity Task Force to review the government's scientific policies in an effort to alleviate political influence.

The 46-member panel of government officials will meet Friday. The move comes after several officials claimed they faced political pressures during the Trump administration.

The White House Office of Science and Technology said in a statement to CNN on Monday that the task force "would the lift up the voices of Federal scientists of many perspectives and backgrounds, in order to ensure that scientific integrity is paramount in Federal governance for years to come."

The decision to create the task force stemmed from the public mistrust of the government following the Trump administration’s controversial comments on climate change and what appeared to be an effort to politicize science.

The new team comes after officials present during the Trump administration shared the concerns over political pressures affecting their decisions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from Alondra Nelson and Jane Lubchenco, the Deputy Directors of the OSTP Scientific Integrity Task Force, revealed the panel’s mission to use past incidents to create a model separating government politics from science.

“Scientific and technological information, data, and evidence are key to the development of effective policies and equitable program delivery throughout government,” the executives wrote.

“As evidence-based policymaking becomes increasingly central to the work of the Federal government, it is important to affirm, strengthen, and safeguard the policies, procedures, and diverse and inclusive communities of practice that facilitate the production of rigorous research evidence, free from interference or intervention.”

Although the task force was created to dig into past actions, the panel's goal under Biden’s administration will be for future scientific decisions to be made without fear of consequences from the government.