The declaration by the Republicans in support of science and technology has come from an essay penned by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), penned an essay entitled “No, the GOP Is Not at War With Science” in Politico Magazine.
In the article, the senators write: “To remain a world leader, the United States must ensure that our investments are funding not just any science but the best science. Unfortunately, in recent years, the federal government has awarded taxpayer dollars toward research that few Americans would consider to be in the national interest.”
The examples of so-called “wastefulness” that the senators draw on include studies of Mayan architecture and the salt industry, the eco consequences of early human-set fires in New Zealand, and the ancient Icelandic textile industry, as well as a website for Michelle Obama’s White House garden.
The examples have been decried as “selective” and “cherry picking” by different scientists. For example, Ben Corb of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASMBM), has written a commentary on the ASBMB Policy Blotter post. He states: “The point is when it comes to science and outcomes, the enterprise is built on questions and not answers…and we must allow researchers to follow where their findings take them and not be fearful their findings will take them to a place that Congress doesn’t want to fund.”
Commenting on the voting records of the two senators specifically, Corb notes “Neither Paul nor Smith have a particularly successful track record in citing valuable research or the proper use of taxpayer dollars.”
The proof will be in the voting and budget setting. It remains to be seen what the 114th Congress does.
