The world has survived 100 days of President Donald Trump and his attempts to “Make America Great Again.”
On the campaign trail, he promised a 100 Day Contract With The American Voter” that included middle class tax relief, repealing and replacing Obamacare, and even “cleaning up corruption in Washington. Like most Trump contracts, the worker—or in this case the American voter—gets fucked again.
In honor of the president’s 100 days in office, we decided to examine what President Trump has (or hasn’t) accomplished in the name of science.
If anything, this administration has declared war with climate change, going so far as to seemingly ignore the threat completely. The vast majority of scientists agree on human-caused climate change and that it needs to be combatted. Why doesn’t anyone in this administration?
Energy and the Environment “Donald Trump is a threat to the planet,” wrote climate scientist, Professor Michael Mann, in a blog on Huffington Post.
“What he has set in motion in terms of the impact on climate action and the potential impact on environmental standards is very dangerous,” said Melinda Pierce, legislative director of the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the U.S., to The Independent. “He’s basically unwinding and shredding the safety net we have been building up for 40 years.”
“My Administration is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species. Rigorous science is critical to my Administration’s efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection. My Administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.
President Trump, actions speak louder than words—even if they’re the best words, and it looks as though this administration would rather eliminate any and all environmental protections than advance scientific research “that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.”
Space Much has been made about Trump’s aggressive [read: insane] moves concerning the climate, immigration, and health care during his first 100 days in office, but he hasn’t offered much yet in regard to exploring the final frontier. This isn’t too different from most administrations, which find themselves more worried about tax reform than launching a man to Mars. But given that the president has yet to name an administrator of NASA, it seems, right now, space isn’t currently on Trump’s mind.
His first budget indicated virtually no change to NASA funding. In March, the president did sign legislation NASA authorization legislation, during which he trumpeted, “Today, we’re taking the initial steps toward a bold and bright new future for American spaceflight.” Like most Trumpisms, this was all show and no substance. The authorization he signed essentially keeps NASA on the same course—funding for the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
Concerning deep space exploration, Trump’s made it clear he wants to go to Mars during “my first term or, at worst, my second term,” though he’d rather “fix our highways” first.
The president’s vision for NASA seems to be using it as a potential job creator. During that NASA-authorization ceremony, Trump focused not specifically on exploration, technology, and aeronautics, but rather the president endorsed the Agency’s successful efforts to “nurture a new commercial market that will boost our economy and create more jobs,” according to a White House Statement.
“It’s about jobs,” noted the president.
Health Care Since Trump has taken office, he’s made six healthcare promises: 1. “Insurance for everybody” 2. “No cuts to medicaid” 3. “No one will lose coverage” 4. “Nobody will be worse off financially” 5. “Get rid of artificial lines” 6. “Everybody’s going to be taken care of”
And, somehow, he’s managed to sort of keep these promises to the American people, but that’s mostly because his administration has failed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. So…Thanks Obama.
“Nobody knew health care could be so complicated,” said the President.
Actually, everybody knew, Donny.
His clear lack of interest or expertise or even a single cranial synapse concerning health-related, or even medical-related issues is not only astonishing, but it seems dangerous to the American public.
In his first budget proposal, the president called for a $6 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health. A cut that enraged scientists but Congressmen alike.
“A $6 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health is unacceptable to the scientific community, and should be unacceptable to the American public as well,” said Benjamin Corb, Director of Public Affairs at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in a statement to Ars Technica.
The biggest threat to America isn’t a terrorist wandering Iraq. It’s not an extremist hiding in Dearborn or some Iranian biomedical engineer who’s no longer eligible to enter the country because the government thinks Iran manufacturers terrorists, not doctors. The biggest threat to America is that the country can’t take care of its citizens.
Tom Burson is a travel writer, part-time hitchhiker, and he’s currently trying to imitate Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but with more sunscreen and jorts.
