White House’s Long-Awaited Scientific Integrity Plan Released

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren issued a memo to executive branch agencies today that could improve scientific integrity in the federal government. "The memo is a sign of relief for federal scientists who are unsure of their rights and whose work is too susceptible to manipulation," said Gary D. Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch.

For more on the memo, read OMB Watch’s statement.

The memo is the result of a March 2009 request from President Obama for recommendations on scientific integrity. The recommendations were due in July 2009, but had stalled.

Groups like OMB Watch and the Union of Concerned Scientists applauded Obama’s focus on scientific integrity. After years of abuse during the Bush administration – including censorship of scientists, suppression or alteration of research, and manipulation of findings used in policymaking – Obama’s decision to attempt to restore scientific integrity was, and still is, a breath of fresh air.

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