On Thursday, as part of yet another flurry of executive actions taken in President Trump’s third full day in office, the president signed an executive order establishing the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology. The purpose of this is, presumably, to foster innovation, and scientific and technological discovery.
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The Council’s structure is set in the order.
Sec. 2. Establishment. (a) There is hereby established the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
(b) The PCAST shall be composed of not more than 24 members. The Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto shall be members of the PCAST. If also serving as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the APST may designate the U.S. Chief Technology Officer as a member. The remaining members shall be distinguished individuals and representatives from sectors outside of the Federal Government appointed by the President. These non-Federal members shall have diverse perspectives and expertise in science, technology, education, and innovation.
(c) The APST and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto shall serve as Co-Chairs of the PCAST. The Co-Chairs may designate up to two Vice Chairs of the PCAST from among the non-Federal members of the PCAST, to support the Co-Chairs in the leadership and organization of the PCAST.
The Council will, as the name spells out, serve in an advisory capacity and will not have any direct authority over policy. Pres. Trump’s order continues:
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The PCAST shall advise the President on matters involving science, technology, education, and innovation policy. The Council shall also provide the President with scientific and technical information that is needed to inform public policy relating to the American economy, the American worker, national and homeland security, and other topics.
It will be roundly interesting to see who is eventually appointed to this council. The government’s recent history in science and technology has not been exactly overwhelming.
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Miranda Green, a national investigative reporter for HuffPo (formerly called the Huffington Post), notes the danger of “ideological dogmas.” Coming from that publication, that’s more than a little bit ironic.
Breaking: New Trump EO establishes “President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.”
In announcement, it says “pursuit of truth” in science is “under threat” by” “ideological dogmas”
The council will include up to 24 members outside gov appointed by the president pic.twitter.com/iYRsWEaf5F
— Miranda Green (@mirandacgreen) January 23, 2025
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The “outside government” portion is encouraging; bringing in people with experience in the private sector would be a plus. A focus, not on politics but on a ruthless examination of data would be essential. We haven’t seen a lot of that from the federal government, particularly not over the last four years. From the legacy media, well, looking for an objective science reporter in the legacy media is like looking for a strand of hay in the world’s largest stack of needles.
I’ll watch the formation of this council with great interest, and bring you updates as events unfold.
