How the new Congress and Trump could affect science

"For U.S. science policy, big shift ahead"
Chemical & Engineering News

The political ground is set to shift dramatically with the new Republican-led Congress in place and President-elect Donald Trump poised to take over the Oval Office. The cover story in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, runs down the science-related policy and regulatory issues facing potentially big changes.

C&EN reports that policies affecting issues from energy and climate to research budgets and trade are up in the air as experts try to determine what directions Trump and Congress will ultimately take. Republican budget hawks are expected to attempt to roll back programs, but specifics are not yet clear.

The new Administration and lawmakers could also change how laws already on the books, such as the Toxic Substances Control Act and the 21st Century Cures Act, are implemented. Additionally, higher education, including science teacher training; immigration, which affects foreign workers in the sciences; and the business climate, including scrutiny of chemical companies’ pending mergers, are all on the table.