The American Political Science Association (APSA) is deeply concerned about recent executive actions that have had troubling implications for research funding and academic freedom. In January, President Trump issued an executive order calling for the termination of federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This was followed by a memorandum to temporarily pause a wide range of federal grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance, to allow for a review of federal grants and awards and to enforce compliance with the executive order. These actions effectively froze funding for numerous federal programs including grants for scientific research offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal science agencies. It also appears that existing research is being scrutinized for using words associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Although the memo has since been rescinded and subsequently halted by a federal court order, its abrupt implementation has sowed confusion and trepidation amongst the scientific community who rely upon research grants from federal agencies like the NSF to advance scientific knowledge.
APSA is further concerned about reports of numerous federally funded datasets and documents having been removed from publicly accessible websites, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and other agencies. These datasets and documents serve as invaluable resources for decisionmakers and scientists, particularly political scientists, and should remain broadly accessible to the general public as a public good. The removal of these datasets prevents researchers from accessing public data, and alongside the freezing of federally funded research grants and awards, constitutes an infringement on the principles of academic freedom, which is an unacceptable outcome of the executive branch’s actions.
We, along with our fellow academic associations, are monitoring this rapidly changing situation and the resulting threat to academic freedom and U.S. leadership in scientific research. We call on the Trump Administration to reconsider and reverse these damaging executive actions and reaffirm support for federal scientific research agencies and programs, continue legally permissible programs to support diversity, equity and inclusion, replace missing federal data and resources, and rebuild trust amongst the scientific and academic community.
Taeku Lee
APSA President
Susan Stokes
APSA President-Elect
Mark Warren
APSA Past President
Kimberly A. Mealy
APSA Executive Director