1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

Nearly 2,000 scientists, engineers and researchers penned an open letter this week to Donald Trump's administration, calling for a stop to its "assault" on science. The letter was signed by elected members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a congressional chartered organization that provides independent analysis and helps inform public policy decisions. In case you missed this, below are the first two paragraphs of the letter: “We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive across bridges and fly in airplanes. Businesses and farmers rely on science and engineering for product innovation, technological advances, and weather forecasting. Science helps humanity protect the planet and keeps pollutants and toxins out of our air, water, and food. For over 80 years, wise investments by the US government have built up the nation’s research enterprise, making it the envy of the world. Astoundingly, the Trump administration is destabilizing this enterprise by gutting funding for research, firing thousands of scientists, removing public access to scientific data, and pressuring researchers to alter or abandon their work on ideological grounds.” When will you stand up and let your voice be heard to stop the madness of this administration? It feels like you want society to go back to the days when science was considered “evil magic” and millions of people died from curable illnesses. Please do something good for society and use your influence to correct the administration’s blatant disregard for science.