Welcome to the 2025 version of the Dark Ages.
Donald Trump, the person who during his first term in the Oval Office issued preposterous statements that windmills cause cancer and injecting bleach in your arms could ward off the Coronavirus, has launched a second war on science in the first three weeks of his return to power.
Numerous examples of this war on science are:
- Nominating a noted Anti-Vaxer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Health and Human Services Secretary.
- Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord.
- Putting gag orders on the Center for Disease Control (C.D.C.,) Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.,) and National Institute for Health (N.I.H.) so they can not transmit any health-related information. A federal judge has ordered the Administration to reopen their websites and start sharing information again.
- Gutting the staffs of both NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the environmental justice division of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.)
- Performing Administrative MAGA purity tests on scientific grants to make sure there are no references to climate science or diversity, equity, or inclusion.
- Halting funds distribution to clean energy projects like those earmarked for electric vehicle charging stations.
- With only 72 hours' notice, grant cost reductions on biomedical research grants to universities and medical facilities sponsored by the N.I.H. A federal judge put a halt to that yesterday.
What will come next in this new Dark Age against Science? Trump and Musk saying the Earth is flat. Wonder how many of the MAGA faithful would fall for that or what number of his spineless supporters in Congress would say "You know, he may have a point and we should consider the possibility."
Democratic leaders in Arizona have strongly condemned the Musk/Trump/Vance war on science and reality.
On the impact this war on science can have on Arizona, Democratic Senate Leader Priya Sundareshan relayed:
“It is now clearly on display for the world to witness the danger Donald Trump and his administration of billionaire donors are to this country. Republicans are hell-bent on ceding American leadership to other countries in every arena - now, basic science. Arizona is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and it is unconscionable that we could lose further funding to address the very real dangers in front of us.”
In a fundraising email calling attention to the Administration's move to gut NOAA, Senator and pilot/astronaut Mark Kelly wrote:
I"’m a pilot and someone who sailed on a merchant ship across the oceans. Gutting NOAA is absolutely nuts. Every pilot, every airline, and every shipping company in the country depends on the weather forecasting data NOAA provides through the National Weather Service with their sensors and satellites. Every American, from Hawaii to Maine, needs that data to prepare for adverse weather conditions like hurricanes and tornadoes. Farmers need it to raise their crops. Ship captains need it to chart their courses.
The dollars Musk and the Trump Administration might save pale in comparison to the collateral damage we would incur by gutting this agency."
When suing the Administration for reducing the indirect costs of NIH grants, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes stated:
“Arizona students and universities will miss out on millions of dollars in critical funding and research support if the Trump administration is not blocked from defunding NIH and its grants to our state. This money is owed to Arizonans by law. Beyond the students and institutions negatively impacted now, this will have disastrous and exponential consequences for innovation and progress, curbing our ability to combat disease and protect Americans for generations to come.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, commenting on the impact the grant cuts could have on the University of Arizona, commented:
"Dangerous cuts like those aimed at the University of Arizona are going to harm Tucson's economy and lead to job cuts. Last year, the U of A's share of NIH funding for life-saving research was $170 million. Our city is home to college kids, professors, and staff who depend on this funding. These cuts put people's lives at risk and make American universities less competitive around the world. This makes no sense."
Commenting about an Inside Climate News article, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego posted:
The Dark Ages, a period of history, otherwise known as the Early Middle Ages, that described Western Europe from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to roughly the Age of the Vikings, when the scientific reality was shunned and reverence for religious dogma reigned.
Sound familiar.
The country can not afford Trump and MAGA to win this war on science and propel the nation into a new Dark Age of Ignorance and Despair.
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