Restoring Gold Standard Science executive order directly confronts the reproducibility crisis in scientific research

On May 23, 2025, President Trump issued Restoring Gold Standard Science, an executive order (EO) that requires federal agencies to prioritize transparency, reproducibility, objectivity, and accuracy in their funding, assessment, and dissemination of policy-relevant science. The EO orders agency heads “to encourage the open exchange of ideas, provide for consideration of different or dissenting viewpoints, and protect employees from efforts to prevent or deter consideration of alternative scientific opinions.”

CEI senior fellow Marlo Lewis stated:

“The EO represents a sea-change in national policy. It directly confronts the ‘reproducibility crisis’ of modern science rather than sweeping it under the rug, as the previous administration did. It disfavors agency reliance on unrealistic models, scenarios, and assumptions, and identifies data concealment, data manipulation, and selective results reporting as scientific malpractices.

“Federal agencies develop rules that have a substantial effect on the lives of Americans. The science and data underpinning these rules are therefore critical to get right. This means the public, including leading scientific experts, should be able to assess the agency’s use of science. This is hardly controversial and is fundamental to having an open and accountable rulemaking process.

“CEI strongly supports the EO. We encourage President Trump to work with Congress on legislation to ensure that agencies practice Gold Standard Science long after the end of his presidency.”

More from CEI:

• Lewis: Modernizing EPA Science Policies
• Lewis: Senate pulls plug on California’s gas car ban