Science advocates react to Democrats’ historic midterm rout: ‘It’s a new day in Washington’
Scientific American · Adam Kovac ·
Researchers and advocates say they hope the “blue wave” could signal more accountability after two years of attacks on science
Tuesday’s midterm election marked a sea change in the country’s political landscape, with Democrats sweeping control of Congress and making historic gains in many state legislatures. Now science advocates say they want answers for what has happened during the first two years of the Trump administration.
“It’s a new day in Washington,” says Gretchen Goldman, president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “There’s huge opportunities for science, for democracy, for getting accountability for these attacks on science that we’ve seen. We are keen to get to work pushing back.”
Since taking office in 2025, the Trump administration has turned science into a battleground, slashing or outright canceling federal grants and research that was deemed too “woke.” Thousands of federal workers, including researchers, lost their jobs or decided to leave government. And the White House has pushed the country’s science funding to favor artificial intelligence and other technologies over other scientific fields, including medical research. At the same time, federal agencies have rolled back numerous anti-climate change measures in moves that critics say leave the country more vulnerable to warming and emissions.
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