Australia's chief scientist tears Trump's EPA mandate: 'It's reminiscent of the censorship exerted by political officers in the old Soviet Union'

President Trump's clampdown on the Environmental Protection Agency's scientific data reminds Australian chief scientist Alan Finkel of the Soviet Union. At a scientific roundtable Monday, Finkel warned his colleagues that science is "literally under attack" in the United States, citing the Trump administration's mandate that all research or data published by the EPA "undergo review by political appointees before that data can be published on the EPA website or elsewhere."
"It will almost certainly cause long-term harm. It's reminiscent of the censorship exerted by political officers in the old Soviet Union," Finkel said of the mandate. He pointed out that in the Soviet Union, every military commander also had "a political officer second-guessing his decisions."
Finkel argued that Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's system held Soviet agricultural science back "for decades," after Stalin used his "limitless power" to push "unscientific ideas." "So while Western scientists embraced evolution and genetics, Russian scientists who thought the same were sent to the gulag," Finkel said. "Western crops flourished. Russian crops failed."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Pam Bondi and Dan Bongino schism threatens Trump's DOJ
In the Spotlight Two MAGA partisans find themselves on either end of a growing scandal over Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to White House officials
-
8 ways Trump's bill will change your taxes
The Explainer The 'big beautiful bill' was recently signed into law. Here's what it might mean for your wallet.
-
One great cookbook: 'The Cook You Want to Be'
The Week Recommends And the way you want to eat — now
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress