Ask a Scientist: How Do We Track the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Science?

This is a policy story, not a home-upgrade one, but here's what it covers.

The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit that has tracked political interference in federal science for more than 20 years, has built a new online tool called the Attacks on Science Tracker. As of August 1, 2026, it counts 594 instances of the Trump administration limiting scientists' ability to do research, share findings, or use evidence in government decisions since January 2025. For comparison, the group logged 207 such attacks during the first Trump term, 96 across both Bush terms, and 21 total during the Obama and Biden years combined.

The tool sorts attacks into 11 types and seven topic areas, including climate science, and lets anyone search or filter the data for their own purposes, whether that is writing an op-ed, preparing talking points for a meeting with a member of Congress, or supporting research and legal cases. The group says the pattern that stood out most while building it was how often these attacks touch health and safety.

The organization is also pointing to the tool as evidence for the Scientific Integrity Act, a bill with some bipartisan support now before Congress that would set consistent protections against political interference across all federal science agencies, rather than leaving it to each agency's own rules.

For homeowners, this doesn't change any specific rebate, program deadline, or technology available today. It's a look at how federal science oversight is being tracked and debated, which could shape future policy on things like energy and environmental research down the line.