ASBMB applauds Biden's memo on restoring scientific integrity in the federal government

President Joe Biden issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies to restore trust in the government through scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking. The Jan. 27 memo requires the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that executive departments and agencies establish and enforce scientific-integrity policies that ban improper political interference.  

This memorandum also establishes a task force on scientific integrity to conduct a thorough review of the effectiveness of agency scientific-integrity policies developed since 2009.  

The following is a statement from Benjamin Corb, public affairs director for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: 

“Restoring scientific integrity should be a top priority for this administration, given Biden’s predecessor’s repeated attempts to muzzle scientists and tendency to ignoring scientific evidence in policymaking, especially regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We can address the challenges facing the nation today by promoting scientific research, restoring evidence-based policy and building the trust of the federal agencies in the eyes of the public. 

Biden’s memorandum is the first step in doing so, and we applaud his administration for letting science guide its actions.”