Science Undermined

The title villain in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Goldfinger declared, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” If misinformation and mistrust are seen as the enemies of public health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal health agencies may be teetering on the precipice of aid and comfort.

Nonpartisan watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust has identified a series of incidents exemplifying an apparent disregard of the principles of scientific integrity and violations of documented scientific integrity policies at a number of agencies within the Federal Government

June 6, 2026

Watchdog Asks Trump Admin to Reverse Flawed Listing Impacting Gulf Industries

Request for Correction Under the Information Quality Act

April 14, 2026

Watchdogs File Amicus Brief Supporting Trump Admin’s Reversal of Obama-Era Endangerment Finding

BRIEF OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY & OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT & EDUCATION, D/B/A PROTECT THE PUBLIC’S TRUST

June 11, 2025

Garbage in, Garbage out: Climate Science Group, Government Watchdog Request Correction to National Climate Assessment

Request for Correction under EO 14303 and the Information Quality Act Concerning the 5th National Climate Assessment Published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program

September 19, 2024

Watchdog: Biden-Harris DOT Put Politics Ahead of Ethics, Scientific Integrity in Liquid Natural Gas Decision

Request for investigation into potential ethical and scientific integrity violations by the Department of Transportation

June 14, 2024

Watchdog: Surgeon General’s School Distancing Guidance Was Not Science-Based

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations Contained in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Recommendation on “Physical Distancing” to Stop the Spread of COVID-19

June 3, 2024

Watchdog: Documents, Testimony Call for Investigation of Whether Fauci & Co Broke Law by Operating in Secret

Apparent Wrongdoing by Employees of the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

April 3, 2024

Watchdog Demands NOAA Climate Change Scientific Integrity Investigation

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations Related to NOAA’s “Billion Dollar Disaster” Project

February 19, 2024

Biden Administration’s ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ Push Violates its Own Scientific Integrity Rules

The Administration’s Use of Indigenous Knowledge In Decision Making Violates Scientific Integrity Law and Guidance

February 6, 2024

HHS Can’t Provide Science to Back Up ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Claims

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations Regarding Statements About Gender-Affirming Care

June 20, 2023

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate or for Hysteria?

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violation by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry

May 10, 2023

Government Watchdog Asks Biden Science Czar to Investigate CDC, FDA Science Misinformation

Failure by Ethics Authorities in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Investigate Repeated Scientific Integrity Violations by the Department Health and Human Services

April 26, 2023

Whatever Happened to ‘Follow the Science?’ PPT Documents Another Instance of Scientific Integrity Breach

Request for Investigation into FDA’s Prioritization of Policy Over Science at the Center for Tobacco Products

December 16, 2022

Watchdog Alleges CDC Refused to Track Known Serious Side Effects of Covid Vaccines

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations by Refusal to Monitor Known Severe Vaccine Side Effects

November 18, 2022

Watchdog Files Complaint After Yet Another Apparent Scientific Integrity Violation at CDC

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations by Continuing to Cite False or Misleading Data Regarding Childhood Mortality from Covid-19

August 9, 2022

Complaint: Did Political Considerations Override the Science in the CDC’s Recommendations to Vaccinate Young Children?

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations by Inappropriately Prioritizing Political Considerations When Recommending Children Under the Age of 5 Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19

March 30, 2022

CDC & NIH to the American People: You Can’t Handle the Truth!

Request for Investigation into Apparent Scientific Integrity Violations by Inappropriately Withholding Data About Covid-19 From the Public

October 27, 2021

Complaint Alleges Scientific Integrity Violations by Federal Health Officials

Request for Investigation into Whether NIH Director and Other HHS Agency Officials Violated the Agency’s Scientific Integrity Policy