Rep. ZOE LOFGREN, D-CALIF., Classification member of the Committee of Sciences, Space and Technology of the Chamber, sent a series of letters On February 3 to several federal agencies with large scientific wallets asking how they comply with recent decrees to target policies related to diversity.
The Lofgren representative’s list is the leadership of NASA, the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Oceanic and Atmospheric National Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
In each letter, the deputy called the recent decrees of President Trump “anti-dianticity” and declared the “complete attacks against the ability of the federal government to promote access to scientific opportunities for all Americans”. She also criticized the agencies to comply with this kind of policy changes.
The first day of his second term, President Trump signed two decrees – A direct the agencies to put an end to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) and put an end to the staff working on them, and the other End the diversity and equality of job opportunities in the agencies.
“The efforts to promote greater scientific diversity in this country did not appear on a whim. In many decades, this committee has worked in a bipartite manner to authorize federal programs and offices that widen representation through scientific workforce and exploit the intellectual capacities of Americans throughout society, “reads the Letter from the representative Lofgren.
These laws, she explained, “represent the will of the congress. They are not optional, and they cannot be unilaterally desired by decree. “She also informed the leaders of each scientific agency that they” try by law to carry out the directives set out by the congress “.
Given that the decrees received a series of federal agencies – including those which received letters from the Lofgren representative – made reductions in policies and programs following decrees.
For example, NASA, which has not officially announced the details of its implementation of the Orders of the White House, ended its office of diversity and equal opportunities (Odeo), and the website of the website diversity office has been deleted. In addition, in a January 31st note The space agency has managed all the search possibilities in the Earth and Earth Science Programs (Roses) -2024 to “end the pilot study of the inclusion plan, remove the requirements for plans ‘Inclusion and the evaluation factors associated with them and adjust the content of certain other program elements to remove references to the NASA Deia programs. »»
The Lofgren representative has asked each agency to detail all similar measures taken so far to comply with the White House orders, in particular by placing employees on administrative leave, eliminating offices and posts, interrupting communications Interns or external agencies, modifying or deleting agency websites, modifying agency policy or procedural documents and considerations of shrinking agencies related to research, development, demonstration programs and applications commercial.
In addition, the Lofgren representative asked that agencies provide detail “all actions … Modification, reporting or cancellation of any existing or potential research subsidy to beneficiaries.”
Agency leaders have until February 14 to answer.