Democrats Unveil Initiative to Keep Science Out of Politics. Press release (20 June 2005) from Senate Democratic Communications Center and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. “Senators Reid and Schumer announced today that Senate Democrats will introduce an amendment this week designed to prevent lawmakers from rewriting science to suit their political needs. ”
From Senate Democratic Communications Center and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Democrats Unveil Initiative to Keep Science Out of Politics
Senators join Whistleblower in unveiling amendment to put science first
Monday, June 20, 2005
Washington, DC – Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Senator Chuck Schumer today joined whistleblower Rick Piltz to unveil the Senate Democrats latest effort to keep politics out of science. Piltz resigned as senior associate in the office that coordinates government climate research in March and blew the whistle on the Bush administrations attempt to edit scientific reports on global warming.
Senators Reid and Schumer noted that the White Houses attempt to inject politics into scientific climate research represents the latest example of Republicans putting their partisan agenda ahead of the American people.
Americans are sick and tired of seeing their priorities take a backseat to Republican ideology, said Reid. Instead of addressing global warming, Republicans had a White House aide who has since taken a job at Exxon – revise scientific reports, so the reports would match the Presidents political agenda. Its time the issues the American people care about are addressed head on. Thats why Democrats are committed to reform and to preventing Republicans from abusing their power and rewriting science.
Senators Reid and Schumer announced today that Senate Democrats will introduce an amendment this week designed to prevent lawmakers from rewriting science to suit their political needs.
This Administration has allowed the special interests to trump the public interest time and time again. From energy policy to judicial and diplomatic nominations—politics comes first—consultation, common sense, and even scientific evidence come last, Schumer said.
Introduced by Senator Lautenberg, the amendment will ensure that the American people receive unedited climate change science-related government reports once they are reviewed and cleared by scientists. If political appointees edit such reports, the amendment will stipulate that Congress must be notified and that the unedited version of the report must be made available on the agencys website.
Reid and Schumer also urged their Republican colleagues to put politics aside and join Democrats in the common-sense center to get things done for the American people.