Opinion: Stop sidelining science. Bring back federal scientific advisory committees
In a move touted as “improving the utility of federal advisory committees,” President Trump signed Executive Order 13875 in June, requiring all federal agencies to reduce the number of their advisory committees by no less than one-third. By doing so he continued to diminish the role of science in government.
Advisory committees help protect Americans from health threats like Covid-19, cancer, and heart disease, and have become an essential component of our national security. Many federal advisory committees focus on science, medicine, health, and technology, and range from advising on pesticides and public safety to preventing breast cancer and managing the demands on the health care workforce. Some of the scientific advisory committees eliminated by the executive order were charged with giving advice to the directors of major federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.
