On March 26, President Donald Trump sent a letter to Michael Kratsios, the recently confirmed Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), challenging him to harness science and innovation to create a bright future for every American. Trump referenced a letter that President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to his science and technology advisor, Vannevar Bush, during World War II. Similarly, at the beginning of his administration, President Joe Biden wrote a letter to his OSTP director that also invoked Bush and the successes of the post-WWII American scientific enterprise.
Trump identified three challenges for Kratsios:
- securing the U.S.’ position as the “unrivaled world leader in critical and emerging technologies”;
- “redefining how America conducts the business of discovery” through innovative funding models and reduced administrative burden; and
- ensuring that advances in science and technology “fuel economic growth and better the lives of all Americans.”
While the content of the letter resonates strongly with FABBS, echoing much of our commitment to science, it is in direct conflict with dozens of administration actions over the past several months to dismantle and discredit the federal scientific infrastructure (see, for example, FABBS’ news coverage of NIH and NSF). FABBS is drafting a letter to Director Kratsios encouraging the administration to leverage the behavioral and brain sciences in support of the goals to bolster the STEM workforce, drive innovation, and better understand the interaction of humans and technology and the potential unintended consequences.
