Stand Up For Science Statement on Administration's Actions Against Public Servants

Stand Up For Science warns of politically-motivated attacks on federal institutions and public servants.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On August 26, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) placed 20 FEMA staff on administrative leave after they publicly signed the Katrina Declaration, a letter to Congress sounding the alarm on the administrative gutting of FEMA's ability to respond to disasters and protect Americans. This move marks another action by the Trump Administration against vital scientific and public health institutions— including CDC, EPA, and FEMA— and the public servants and scientists who have dedicated their careers to protecting lives and helping communities in crisis.

The same day, several senior career leaders resigned from the CDC, including: Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, Director of the Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases; and Dr. Debra Houry, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science. In their resignation letters made public, these leaders condemned the "politicization of public health." Dr. Daskalakis warned that HHS's "unscientific policies" will inflict "unconscionable harm on all Americans."

In a further development, the White House announced the firing of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, who was Senate-confirmed less than a month ago. In a letter to employees, Dr. Monarez had attributed the August 8 CDC shotting to anti-vaccine rhetoric and "disinformation".

Meanwhile, the 139 EPA staff who sounded the alarm on the dismantling of environmental safeguards remain on administrative leave and under investigation, with their employment status unresolved as their leave status is set to expire August 29.

"These are not normal administrative reorganizations, they are direct attacks on public health, public safety, science, and truth itself" says Stand Up For Science Founder and Executive Director Colette Delawalla. She ads "by silencing experts and hollowing out our institutions, the Trump Administration is leaving Americans more vulnerable to disease, preventable harm, crises, and disasters."

Stand Up For Science stands with federal employees who courageously dissented. We urge members of Congress to act decisively: to defend public servants who are upholding their duty to the American people; to protect the integrity of public institutions that keep our nation safe and healthy; and to hold Secretary Kennedy accountable.

To that end, Stand Up For Science has launched a public petition calling for the impeachment and removal of Secretary Kennedy. Founder and Executive Director Colette Delawalla will hand-deliver the petition to key House members in September, following the congressional recess.

Signatories of the Katrina Declaration and of the Impeach and Remove petition, including prominent American medical professionals, scientists, and Nobel laureates, are available for on-the-record interviews. For security reasons, names are not listed publicly, but media inquiries are welcome at media@standupforscience.net.

Delawalla is also available to discuss the impact of this action on the broader effort to save science, call the public to action, and encourage other federal agency employees to do the same.

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About Stand Up for Science: Stand Up for Science is a grassroots Washington, D.C. based 501(c)4 non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. We formed Stand Up for Science within days of executive orders breaking down federal science agencies. Weeks later, on March 7th, our first National Day of Action, we mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world in support of science. Stand Up for Science has captured widespread national and international media attention, and federal scientists across multiple agencies (i.e., NIH, EPA and NASA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform for their dissent against this Administration. An opinion piece written by our founding leadership team is also available in Nature Human Behavior: “Why we organized ‘Stand Up for Science.’”
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Brian Lovett
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net

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