Scientific Integrity

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Tonko for his leadership on this important issue.

I have been on the Committee of Science, Space, and Technology since I joined Congress 13 years ago, Mr. Speaker.

It has been so inspiring to meet and hear from some of the Nation's, and sometimes the world's, leading scientists.

Today, I rise in defense of science and scientific integrity and in defense of truth. I rise in defense of the hardworking scientists and researchers who dedicate their careers to keeping our country safe, our economy strong, and our future secure.

The assault that is happening right now at our Federal science agencies is appalling and dangerous, and it must be stopped.

The Trump administration, working hand in hand with Elon Musk and his shadowy group of hackers calling itself the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is dismantling the critical programs that protect clean air and water, grow the economy, and save American lives.

Experienced and talented scientists at NOAA and the National Science Foundation are being demeaned and threatened with termination. Communications have been disrupted and critical research has been stalled. This is not just an attack on these individuals; it is an attack on the very foundation of our Nation's scientific enterprise. It is also affecting higher education. There is a lot of research being done in higher education with NSF grants.

It is not efficiency. It is not reform. It is sabotage. For what? Is it to silence the truth about the fact that climate change is real and poses a serious threat? Is it to give billionaires more control over public institutions? Is it to gut the research that drives American innovation at a time when China and the EU and the rest of the world are making moves to surge ahead?

My home State of Oregon received more than $370 million in Federal research grants last year. That funding supported groundbreaking research into cleaner, cheaper energy, earthquake and tsunami warning systems, and wildfire prevention. That funding is now in jeopardy because Donald Trump has unlawfully and unconstitutionally halted Federal research dollars.

That means stalled renewable energy innovation. It means fewer tools to combat wildfires. It means fewer jobs in the growing industries that help our State and country thrive.

I want to follow up on the remarks that Mr. Beyer made recently and all the words that are going to trigger this review. ``Women'' but not ``men''? ``Disability,'' ``advocacy,'' ``institutional,'' ``barrier''? What if someone is doing research on the Great Barrier Reef? Are they going to be denied their funding?

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing woke, DEI, or radical about predicting the next devastating earthquake or tsunami, detecting a wildfire before it spreads, or protecting ocean health to support our coastal and fishing economies.

Demonizing committed scientists is shameful. Impairing decades of lifesaving research because it might help communities on the front lines of the climate crisis is derelict. Infiltrating Federal agencies with unelected hackers and rescinding lawfully appropriated funds is illegal.

Is this what happens when we have a lawless, science-denying, vindictive person in the White House? I tell you, we won't stand for it.

Oregon's coastal communities rely on NOAA for fisheries management, ocean health monitoring, and storm forecasting. Without it, livelihoods and lives are at risk.

Let me be crystal clear: Silencing scientists doesn't stop hurricanes. Firing researchers doesn't stop rising sea levels. Blocking climate data doesn't change the fact that last year was the hottest year in recorded history.

The United States has long been the world leader in scientific innovation. We led the space race. We mapped the human genome. We pioneered the technology that powers the global economy. Today, under this administration's reckless interference, we are watching that leadership slip away, our scientific edge erode, and America's future be sold off to the highest bidder.

This is frustrating. I just read that the National Cryptologic Museum just taped sheets of paper over plaques that celebrated women and people of color who served honorably in the National Security Agency. That is absurd and demeaning.

The assault on science demands action. What is happening now is not leadership or patriotism. It is corruption.

I truly hope that my Republican colleagues who for years have recognized the value of Federal science agencies and advocated for their investment will join me in speaking out against this reckless attack on scientists and science. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority to guard the science agencies it authorized and the funds it has appropriated from political corrosion.

Public data, peer review, and a diverse research workforce are the cornerstones of the U.S. science enterprise. Yes, I said ``diverse.'' Politically driven propaganda masquerading as science, like we saw during the first Trump administration--remember Sharpiegate--erodes public trust and damages scientific credibility.

Mr. Speaker, we must protect the integrity of our Federal science agencies. The world is watching. We must restore funding to the research that drives our economy. It is a lot of the basic research that then goes into advanced research in the private sector. We must hold those who undermine scientific integrity accountable, no matter how powerful they think they are.

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