SCIENCE

January 6, 2018

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Science

I trust that you, as Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Science, Space and Technology Committee, have taken note of yesterday’s op-ed article in the New York Times. The authors are at pains to alert readers to the fact that, now almost a year into his presidency, Trump has still not named a science adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

This neglect is clear evidence of what the article’s authors call the president’s “disdain for science,” most obviously in his rash withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement but also in numerous small acts that show an ignorance or contempt for the health and well-being of the American people and the natural environment. His recent—and continuing—cavalier and puerile references to the global threat of nuclear warfare reveal a startling unfamiliarity with its potential, as proven by both science and history.

Should it not be the job of your committee to monitor the nation’s commitment to science and technology? Given the apparent indifference of the president, should your committee not vigorously step in to ensure that he remain both conscious of and responsive to the nation’s priorities in this regard? Or do you stand idly by and watch as the atrocities continue?

I would appreciate some evidence of your concern, preferably in the form of public action that would demand greater responsibility and accountability on the part of the present administration.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.