Records indicate diversity and equity benchmarks were included in federal science framework guidance.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Documents recently obtained by Protect The Public’s Trust and reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation indicate that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives were incorporated into federal scientific integrity guidance during the Biden administration.
According to the watchdog group, records show that former President Joe Biden’s 2021 memorandum titled “Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking” was implemented in conjunction with a 2022 “Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice.” The framework referenced diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) as a key component alongside scientific integrity.
The 2021 memo directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to “ensure the highest level of integrity in all aspects of executive branch involvement with scientific and technological processes,” stating that “scientific findings should never be distorted or influenced by political considerations.”
However, documents reviewed by the watchdog group indicate that the 2022 framework described DEIA as “equally important” to scientific integrity policies within federal research agencies.
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“Equally important as a scientific integrity policy are policies, practices, and agency culture to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the scientific workforce and Federal workforce at large and to create safe workspaces that are free from harassment,” the framework states, according to the documents. It further notes that scientific integrity and DEIA policies “may intersect in many places” because of “existing power structures, racism, sexism, discrimination and other forms of bias in the workplace.”
Protect The Public’s Trust Director Michael Chamberlain said the materials raise concerns about whether political considerations were intertwined with scientific guidance.
“Once again we find more evidence that the Biden administration’s commitment to science was not nearly as strong as its commitment to its politics,” Chamberlain told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Science must help us discover all the truths of the natural world. That is simply not possible when it is hemmed in by political fads.”
An April 4, 2022 chart included in the records outlined potential scientific integrity metrics for federal agencies. One criterion listed was whether agency policies reflected DEIA as a critical component.
“Potential measurement methods [include] … evaluation of policy content for alignment with model policy/framework. For instance, whether the policy reflects DEIA as a critical component,” the documents state.
Additional records show that the Biden administration’s Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity was tasked with coordinating and advising agencies on scientific integrity matters, including issues related to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of science” and engagement with underserved communities. The internal draft guidance noted that it “may be shared only internally within agencies.”
While the Biden administration promoted DEI initiatives across federal agencies, the Trump administration has emphasized what it describes as a return to “gold standard science,” outlined in a May executive action titled Restoring Gold Standard Science, and has stated that federal agencies should focus on core missions and limit political influence in research policy.
The debate over how scientific integrity policies should balance workforce diversity initiatives and research objectivity remains a subject of ongoing discussion among policymakers and oversight groups.
Original article
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