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The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the state law equivalents promote government transparency by allowing citizens to request copies of administrative records. Any citizen can file a request with a government entity for copies of government documents, and the government must either produce the information or explain why it is exempt from production (for example, for national security purposes). While these laws were originally written with an eye toward policy makers and bureaucrats, in recent years, these open records laws have been used increasingly to request information from publicly funded scientists. Scientists employed by federal agencies, state agencies, or state universities, as well as scientists at private institutions who have received federal grants, have all received open records requests for information about their work.

Science is science and facts are facts. My administration will ensure that there will be total [scientific] transparency and accountability without political bias." That was the promise made in September 2016 by then-candidate Donald Trump when asked how he would protect federal scientists from political interference in their work. Since taking office, however, President Trump has led a concerted effort to undermine federal scientific research, particularly in areas where research findings contradict his own views or undermine the basis of his deregulatory agenda. That effort is documented in the Silencing Science Tracker, an online database that records anti-science actions taken by the federal government. Drawing on three-and-a-half years of tracker data, this Comment analyzesthe Trump Administration's evolving war on science and shows how it is changing the way federal agencies perform, use, and communicate scientific research. We focus primarily on climate science, which has been the subject of particularly fierce attacks under President Trump, though he has also targeted other areas. His actions could have long-lasting consequences, damaging the role of science in regulation for years to come.