Government research more independent under Obama, but not as much as hoped

Nature : At his 2009 inauguration, President Obama pledged to “restore science to its rightful place” by reducing the amount of political intervention in government research. A review of his presidency suggests that although researchers have experienced less political pressure than they did during George W. Bush’s administration, there have still been clear instances of meddling. For instance, in 2011, the Obama administration directed the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a plan to strengthen ozone pollution controls. The same year Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the Food and Drug Administration’s finding that the “Plan B One-Step” emergency contraceptive was safe to sell over the counter. In both cases, the agencies went forward with their plans despite the administration’s objections. A recent survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that many scientists at federal research agencies believed their organizations were too often influenced by political concerns, even without overt efforts by the administration to direct agency projects and decisions.