A coalition of 25 state attorneys general is urging Congress and federal agencies to cut funding to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, alleging that federally supported climate research and judicial guidance have crossed from objective scientific analysis into advocacy benefiting plaintiffs suing fossil-fuel companies. The dispute centers on a controversial climate-science chapter prepared for a federal judicial reference manual and a separate 2026 report on attributing extreme weather to climate change. The Federal Judicial Center removed the disputed chapter, and the National Academies subsequently withdrew its version pending review, but the attorneys general argue that the review lacks sufficient independence and transparency. The controversy now raises a broader question: whether organizations receiving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars can maintain public credibility when their scientific work intersects directly with active, politically consequential litigation.
Key Takeaways
- Twenty-five state attorneys general are asking federal agencies and Congress to suspend or terminate funding for the National Academies, contending that taxpayer-supported work improperly strengthened climate-litigation theories being advanced against energy companies.
- The controversy intensified after the Federal Judicial Center removed a climate-science chapter from its judicial reference manual. The National Academies later removed the chapter pending review, while critics demanded a genuinely external investigation into its authorship, funding, methodology, review process, and alleged connections to climate litigants.
- The fight extends beyond one disputed chapter. A 2026 extreme-weather attribution report could have significant implications for lawsuits attempting to establish causal connections among fossil-fuel emissions, climate change, particular weather events, economic damages, and corporate liability—making scientific neutrality especially important when taxpayer-supported research may ultimately enter American courtrooms.
In-Depth
A coalition of 25 Republican state attorneys general is pressing Congress and federal agencies to suspend federal funding for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, arguing that taxpayer-supported scientific work crossed from neutral analysis into advocacy directly influencing active climate litigation.
The dispute centers partly on a climate-science chapter prepared for the fourth edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, a resource intended to help federal judges evaluate testimony. Critics contend the chapter favored theories advanced by plaintiffs suing energy companies, misrepresented portions of international climate assessments, and involved participants with ties to climate advocacy. The Federal Judicial Center removed the chapter, while the National Academies later removed its version pending an independent review.
The attorneys general say that response is inadequate. They want an outside review with transparent procedures and reviewers free of connections to climate activism or litigation. Their concerns also extend to a 2026 report on extreme-weather attribution, which describes improving methods for connecting climate change with weather events and resulting impacts. Critics argue such work could strengthen causation arguments in lawsuits seeking damages from fossil-fuel producers.
The issue is institutional accountability. Scientific organizations receiving federal support are entitled to reach conclusions politicians dislike, but taxpayer funding creates an obligation to demonstrate neutrality when their work may shape judicial outcomes. If government-supported research becomes intertwined with one side of active litigation, Congress should investigate funding, conflicts, methodology, and disclosure before continuing grants. Restoring confidence requires transparency, independence and scrutiny rather than institutional assurances alone.
Sources
- https://dojmt.gov/attorney-general-knudsen-urges-federal-agencies-to-investigate-and-stop-funding-organizations-pushing-woke-climate-agenda-to-judges/
- https://www.fjc.gov/content/396456/reference-manual-scientific-evidence-fourth-edition
- https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/DELS-BASCPR-23-02/about
- https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/28590/chapter/2