近2000名科学家、工程师和研究人员写了一份公开信本周，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)的政府呼吁停止对科学的“攻击”。
这封信由科学、工程和医学美国国家学院的当选成员签署，这是一个国会特许组织，它提供独立分析，帮助制定公共政策决策.
该组织明确表示，签名者表达的是他们自己的观点，而不是美国国家学院或他们本国机构的观点。
“我们作为个人站出来说话。我们在这一刻看到了真正的危险，”信中这样写道。“我们持有不同的政治信仰，但作为研究人员，我们团结一致，希望保护独立的科学调查。我们发出这个求救信号是为了发出一个明确的警告:这个国家的科学事业正在被摧毁。”
“我们呼吁政府停止对美国科学的大规模攻击，我们敦促公众加入这一呼吁，”信中继续说道。
该组织呼吁特朗普政府采取行动，包括停止对研究的资助，解雇科学家和取消公众对数据的访问。
最近，与涉及性少数群体+问题以及性别认同和多样性、公平和包容的研究有关的几笔活跃的研究赠款在国立卫生研究院被取消了。美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)看到的发给各大学研究人员的终止信显示，这些项目被取消是因为它们不符合现任政府的“优先事项”。
此外，今年早些时候，作为埃隆·马斯克政府效率部的一部分，卫生与公众服务部的工作人员被解雇缩小尺寸联邦政府的代表。
本月早些时候，HHS似乎也有从医务总监办公室下载了一个网页其中包括一份关于枪支暴力的建议。在给ABC新闻的一份声明中，HHS表示，该部门“和医务总监办公室正在遵守特朗普总统关于保护第二修正案权利的行政命令。”
白宫没有立即回应ABC新闻对这封信的评论请求。
“如果我们国家的研究事业被拆除，我们将失去我们的科学优势，”信中继续说道。“其他国家将引领新型疾病疗法、清洁能源和未来新技术的发展。他们的人口将更加健康，他们的经济将在商业、国防、情报收集和监测地球健康方面超越我们。对我们国家科学事业的损害可能需要几十年才能逆转。”
这封信发出之际，HHS开始裁员，包括美国国立卫生研究院、疾病控制和预防中心以及食品药品监督管理局。
在这一轮裁员中，预计将有多达10，000人失业，这一数字可能会极大地改变该部门的角色和能力。除此之外，近10，000人已经在过去几个月里通过买断要约或提前退休离开了该机构。
Nearly 2,000 scientists call on Trump administration to stop 'assault' on science
Nearly 2,000 scientists, engineers and researchers penned anopen letterthis week to President 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 thatprovides independent analysis and helps inform public policy decisions.
The group made clear the signatories are expressing their own views and not those of the National Academies or their home institutions.
"We are speaking out as individuals. We see real danger in this moment," the letter said, in part. "We hold diverse political beliefs, but we are united as researchers in wanting to protect independent scientific inquiry. We are sending this SOS to sound a clear warning: the nation's scientific enterprise is being decimated."
"We call on the administration to cease its wholesale assault on U.S. science, and we urge the public to join this call," the letter continued.
The group called out the Trump administration for actions including the ending funding for research, firing scientists and removing public access to data.
Recently, several active research grants related to studies involving LGBTQ+ issues, as well as gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion, werecanceled at the National Institutes of Health. According to termination letters sent to researchers at various universities that were reviewed by ABC News, the projects were canceled because they did not serve the "priorities" of the current administration.
Additionally, earlier this year staff were laid off across the Department of Health and Human Services as part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency effort toshrink the sizeof the federal government.
Earlier this month, HHS also appeared to havetaken down a webpage from the Office of the Surgeon Generalthat included an advisory on gun violence. In a statement to ABC News, the HHS said that the department "and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump's Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights."
The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the letter.
"If our country's research enterprise is dismantled, we will lose our scientific edge," the letter goes on. "Other countries will lead the development of novel disease treatments, clean energy sources, and the new technologies of the future. Their populations will be healthier, and their economies will surpass us in business, defense, intelligence gathering, and monitoring our planet's health. The damage to our nation's scientific enterprise could take decades to reverse."
The letter comes as layoffs begin at HHS, including at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Up to 10,000 people are expected to lose their jobs in this round of layoffs, an amount that could significantly alter the department's roles and abilities. That's in addition to the nearly 10,000 who have already left the agency in the last few months through buyout offers or early retirements.
