US Science Losing Stature

Draft script:

It comes as no surprise to anyone paying attention that the country of my birth is losing stature in the world. The current President of this country is the worst in my life, a pattern that has been evident since my birth. In addition, the current President is joined by many of his fans and supporters in mocking science and technology. They lack knowledge of science, and routinely refer to climate science as a hoax or a scam.

People in this country and in other countries will continue to suffer as a result of the beliefs of the current President. He has surrounded himself with like-minded people. His cabinet and advisers lack understanding of science and technology. In a world filled with technological progress that can be understood only by understanding science, the current President is throwing the proverbial dice and betting on an outcome that cannot be predicted.

An article at Reuters published on 1 August 2025 is titled Europe is breaking its reliance on American science. The article begins with a Summary that contains three bullet points:

First, “… [European Union] governments prepare to go it alone on some data after Trump cuts”

Next, “Data on sea-level rise and extreme weather events put at risk by cuts to [the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration] ...”

And third, “Efforts builds on ‘guerrilla archiving’ - a dash by independent scientists to preserve U.S. data.”

The opening single-sentence paragraph explains the reason and the source: “European governments are taking steps to break their dependence on critical scientific data the United States historically made freely available to the world, and are ramping up their own data collection systems to monitor climate change and weather extremes, according to Reuters interviews.”

The next single-sentence paragraph also comes from someone with a passion for long, convoluted sentences: “The effort - which has not been previously reported - marks the most concrete response from the European Union and other European governments so far to the U.S. government’s retreat from scientific research under President Donald Trump’s administration.”

The passion for lengthy sentences continues with the next two paragraphs: “Since his return to the White House, Trump has initiated sweeping budget cuts to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies, dismantling programs conducting climate, weather, geospatial and health research, and taking some public databases offline.

As those cuts take effect, European officials have expressed increasing alarm that - without continued access to U.S.-supported weather and climate data - governments and businesses will face challenges in planning for extreme weather events and long-term infrastructure investment, according to Reuters interviews. In March, more than a dozen European countries urged the EU [European Union] Commission to move fast to recruit American scientists who lose their jobs to those cuts.”

The following paragraph exemplifies the anti-science agenda displayed by the current President and his Administration: “Asked for comment on … [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] cuts and the … [European Union]’s moves to expand its own collection of scientific data, the White House Office of Management and Budget said Trump’s proposed cuts to the agency’s 2026 budget were aimed at programs that spread fake Green New Scam ‘science,’” a reference to climate change research and policy.”

If you refer to science as a scam, then you have a problem. If your President refers science as a scam, then we have a problem. Houston, we have a problem. We have a President who cannot distinguish facts from beliefs. It gets worse, of course.

The article at Reuters continues with a line from a spokesperson in the White House Office of Management and Budget: “Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. is funding real science again. The White House Office of Management and Budget is reducing funding to programs that, according to the Trump administration, spread fake Green New Scam ‘science.’ According to the Trump administration, this includes climate change research and policy.”

Need I say more? As you know by now, I can’t help myself. The article at Reuters continues: “European officials told Reuters that - beyond the risk of losing access to data that is bedrock to the world’s understanding of climate change and marine systems - they were concerned by the general U.S. pullback from research.”

Sweden’s State Secretary for Education and Research was more pointed: “The current situation is much worse than we could have expected. My reaction is, quite frankly, shock.”

Anyone who expresses shock at actions taken by leading figures in the country of my birth has not been paying attention. Very few people in this country have the slightest idea what science is intended to do. As I have discovered via substitute teaching at the local public schools, science teachers do not understand what they are supposed to be teaching. Furthermore, they do not have a grasp on science as a means of understanding the universe.

The article at Reuters explains the purposeful dismantling of scientific endeavors by the current Presidential administration: “Between April and June, … [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] announced on its website the decommissioning of 20 datasets or products related to earthquakes and marine science.

… [The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] did not respond to requests for comment.”

Of course not. When your President claims to be a king and acts like an autocrat, acting contrary to his desires is a fast path to getting fired. Most of us still depend on money for our survival. Making public statements contrary to the desires of Trump is one quick way to lose access to money.

I’d love to be independently wealthy. I doubt my future includes that description. Until it does, I will continue to understand why others have muted responses to alarming actions.

One of my college housemates was several years older than me. His favorite response to most questions about his health or well-being seems to fit those who, like me, have muted responses to alarming actions: “It don’t do no good to bitch.”