Defend scientists being attacked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk! (sign the petition)

Donald Trump and Elon Musk's mass firings of federal workers is a direct attack on science.

Sign the petition to defend scientists being attacked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk! Dear MoveOn member, Donald Trump and Elon Musk's mass firings of federal workers is a direct attack on science, designed to serve corporate greed. An entire generation of scientists, doctors, and public health leaders have been laid off—putting our health and planet at risk, all so billionaires and their industries can rake in even more profit. That's why this past Friday, thousands of everyday people took to the streets to stand up for science in Washington, D.C. and across the country.1 But we have to keep up the momentum. Will you sign the petition? The National Institutes of Health—the largest funder of medical research in the world—was forced to lay off 1,200 people. Publicly funded research from the NIH is essential for public health and medical breakthroughs, fueling innovations in disease prevention, lifesaving treatments, and cures that prioritize people's well-being over corporate profits. The sudden freezes to research and grants threaten the livelihoods of workers, students, researchers, and educators—the ripple effects of which will have an impact on entire communities and states.2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently slashed two prominent training programs.3 Science saves lives. Sign the petition urging Congress to fight back against attempts to politicize or eliminate scientific roles, agencies, and federal research that protect our health and environment. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the primary provider of critical, widely used forecasts for a range of extreme weather events, including hurricanes, heatwaves, and drought—800 probationary staff were laid off recently, and 500 more took the "deferred resignation" option.4 NOAA has always been a lean operation, and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is cutting through the bone. Make no mistake, these attacks on science will harm everyone—preventing the discovery of lifesaving treatments, stalling research for cancer and other deadly diseases, and eliminating critical scientists who ensure we have safe air and water.5 Without strong public investment in science, people will suffer, and historically marginalized communities will bear the burden of these harms. In Trump's first month of office, he has issued an overwhelming barrage of directives. But we know what we're up against. These anti-science actions are pulled straight from their Project 2025 playbook, and we must remain steadfast and united in our defense against them. We need members of Congress to commit to doing everything in their power to fight back and STOP the politicization of science and firing of scientists who help protect our health, safety, and future. When science and scientists are sidelined, people get hurt. Join the more than 64,000 MoveOn members and sign the petition NOW! Thanks for all you do. –Union of Concerned Scientists P.S. See our email below to learn more about our "Save Science, Save Lives" campaign and what's at stake for science under this administration. Sources: 1. "Science, Politics and Anxiety Mix at Rally Under Lincoln Memorial," The New York Times, March 8, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/science/march-for-science-trump-protest.html 2. "UMN researchers, state senators speak out against NIH funding cuts," The Minnesota Daily, February 13, 2025 https://mndaily.com/292539/city/umn-researchers-state-senators-speak-out-against-nih-funding-cuts 3. "Trump Cuts Target Next Generation of Scientists and Public Health Leaders," The New York Times, February 18, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/us/politics/fda-cdc-health-department-trump.html 4. "Trump officials fire 800 employees at weather forecasting and oceans agency," CNN, February 28, 2025 https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/noaa-federal-workers-firings/index.html 5. "UMN researchers, state senators speak out against NIH funding cuts," The Minnesota Daily, February 13, 2025 https://mndaily.com/292539/city/umn-researchers-state-senators-speak-out-against-nih-funding-cuts/ Add your name to tell Congress to BLOCK any attempts to politicize or eliminate scientific roles, agencies, and public research that protect our health, environment, and communities. Dear MoveOn member, Marisa here from Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Donald Trump and his anti-science loyalists are determined to implement the worst of Project 2025 and are already working with corporate polluters to intimidate scientists and sideline science—endangering communities, people, and the planet. We have to intervene NOW and build the public pressure we need to stop attacks against scientists and science. We know from experience that when science and scientists are sidelined, people get hurt. Will you sign the petition? The Trump administration's current agenda would eviscerate the protections that everyday people support and count on. Clean air and water. Safe food and medicine. Products that won't harm us. Protection from extreme weather and other damaging effects of climate change. Without strong public science, people will suffer, and historically marginalized communities will continue to bear the burden of these harms. USC has launched an open letter to Congress calling on members to block attempts to politicize or eliminate scientific roles, agencies, and public research that protect our health, environment, and our communities. But elected officials need to know that you, their constituent, are watching and expecting them to act. Andra, will you add your name to the petition to defend the thousands of federal scientists and experts who are under attack? Add your name to Congress demanding they defend and protect the science and scientists that keep the public safe! We need independent science to inform strong public policy that puts the health, safety, and welfare of our families and communities first. Protecting rigorous and independent science is a commonsense, nonpartisan goal that every member of Congress should support. The first 100 days of the Trump administration will set the stage for the next four years. We have to mobilize NOW to fight back against the politicization of science. Members of Congress must take action immediately in three ways: They must oppose anti-science Cabinet nominees to any federal agency who do not agree on the record to follow and/or implement a scientific integrity policy in their agency. They must defend the safeguards that protect the health and safety of people across the United States, especially those overburdened by pollution. This includes the nation's bedrock public health and environmental laws—such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. They must oppose the elimination of public agencies or their staff directly or indirectly, including through draconian budget cuts, reclassifying staff, or abruptly moving agency headquarters, all of which are a transparent and explicit effort to decimate scientific expertise and decision-making. The actions of the Trump administration will have a lasting impact for decades to come. We need members in Congress to step up and defend our communities and planet from anti-science extremists. If you agree, add your name to the petition now! Together, we can work to limit political attacks on government scientists and experts, stop suppression of scientific research, fight unqualified science agency nominations, and defend against other anti-science actions in the Project 2025 agenda. Click here to sign and then share with three pro-science friends to help spread the word. Thanks for all you do. –Marisa Vertrees, Union of Concerned Scientists You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here. Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us? Donate: $100 monthly Donate: $200 monthly Donate: $1000 monthly Donate another amount monthly Or make a one-time gift Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. 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