On March 28, 2025, the Trump administration formally rescinded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientific integrity policy. The policy, which went into effect at the end of 2024, was intended to protect federal scientists from political interference and retaliation. The withdrawn policy also directed agency employees to support LGBTQIA+ researchers and stated that “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are integral components of the entire scientific process.”
According to the rescission notice, the move is meant to “to ensure alignment” with the current Trump administration’s priorities. An executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025 requires federal agencies to terminate all activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
NIH will now follow the broader scientific integrity policy used by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which critics have said does not adequately protect NIH research. “Removing this policy is a deliberate weakening of the structures that protect public health, the scientific process and the American peoples’ access to truth,” said Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.