Let Scientists Reinvigorate Congress
By: Suzy Shailesh
Tags: Congress, Students, Politics, Science

“What’s the opposite of progress? Congress!” This is a joke I see floating around often, from social media posts to on the streets at the Women’s March. The fact that our government has become synonymous with complete inadequacy is pitiful. Congress’s current approval rating is a truly abysmal 19%. This low of an approval rating extends beyond any partisanship that might be biasing these statistics and truly shows the total lack of faith many Americans have in their governments to do their jobs. Congress is supposed to be representative of the people- to amplify our voices, advocate for our problems, and fight for the solutions we need. Yet, in most ways, members of Congress fail these missions. Citizens are constantly disappointed in the lack of accountability, partisanship, and recklessness demonstrated by their elected officials. Moreover, our electected officials do not even end up being representative of their constituents; women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, disable individuals, immigrants, and many others fail to find someone they can identify with in government.

Another demonstration of this distorted representation- and a possible solution to Congress’s inefficacy- can be found in Congress’s professional breakdown. Unsurprisingly, most members of Congress come from backgrounds in public service, business, and law. While it makes sense why people from these professions would be inclined to run for public office, this clearly does not make for a very diverse governing body. In the Congress we just elected in November, there are only 37 members with a STEM background, a whopping seven percent of all members. If the purpose of Congress is to be representative of the people, this is an utter failure of that goal.

This lack of STEM representation could be what is causing the disheartening amount of science-denial happening in our government lately. An infectious disease is taking hundreds of thousands of lives across our country, and yet there are so many government officials who choose not to actively encourage masks and quarantine, though these measures have been widely recommended by medical professionals. The current administration has chosen to leave the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization, a blow to environmental and public health issues. There have also been a number of funding cuts to federally-funded research, taking away numerous opportunities for scientists. Complete mistruths about critical debates such as climate change, vaccines, and abortions have been spreading like wildfire, straight from the mouths of the politicians we are supposed to put our trust in.

Nancy Goroff, an organic chemist who recently ran for office in New York, puts it nicely: “You want people from diverse backgrounds when you are trying to make complicated policy decisions. So many of our big challenges as a country have a scientific or technical component.” Technical legislation with dire consequences is put in the hands of those who have no expertise in the field, some of who go out of their way to disregard the facts. My Representative is a former Navy pilot and attorney. I can’t say I particularly trust her expertise with issues on climate change and viral diseases, for example.

I spoke with Alyse Huffman to learn more about how members of Congress manage to educate themselves on scientific topics without having a STEM background. Huffman serves as a Professional Staff Member on the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The staffers on her subcommittee spend their time researching various science policy issues that come across their tables. It is their job to draft legislation regarding these issues; this proposed legislation is then sent to be reviewed by the overseeing committee, and then finally to be debated on the House floor. To gain a working understanding of the topics they will be writing policy on, the staffers attend webinars, brown bag lunches, and workshops where they are taught about scientific issues. The expectation is for this information to trickle its way up to Congresspeople themselves so they can make informed decisions.

However, Huffman’s long job title also comes with a long list of responsibilities. Her background is in nuclear engineering, but on the Energy Subcommittee, she focuses not only on nuclear energy, geothermal energy, water power, biological and environmental research, nuclear physics, and energy water nexus issues. This means that she is extending herself far beyond her area of expertise; she, like many other Congressional staffers, is tasked with covering subject areas that she is not trained in. It’s a little absurd to think that those working in the House Science Committee- those whose task it is to keep Representatives informed on Science issues- are learning on the job themselves. The Chairwoman of the House Science Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, shares the laments of having to work with this half-formed information; she expresses that they are, “struggling to make sense of competing expert opinions but still having to make policy decisions in this murky context, with potentially grave consequences.”

This is why it’s so helpful, Huffman says, that scientists who find themselves in the House of Representatives usually make their way over to the House Science Committee. On top of legislative power, they bring valuable expertise and knowledge to the table. Have a question about genetic modification or ways to produce energy from waste? Ask biochemical engineer Sean Casten. Want to hear about how federally funded scientific research works? PhD physicist Bill Foster has first-hand experience. Maybe there’s a pandemic running rampant in your country. Who better to talk to than the first registered nurse ever elected to Congress, Eddie Bernice Johnson?

Nobody will be a more qualified advisor for science-based legislation than the scientists, engineers, and physicians who dedicated years of laborious study and research to their respective fields; certainly not some past prosecutor who spends half an hour on one afternoon half-listening to a panel on some issue they should probably know about. I share Huffman’s opinion that if there were more scientists in Congress, policy would be more well-informed and ultimately better off.

Scientists’ potential to rejuvenate our legislative process extends beyond science policy, however. They also bring a unique perspective on problem-solving and decision-making. Aruna Miller, a civil engineer and politician in Maryland, explains that when scientists make decisions, they are, “logical, predictable,” and, “work within certain confines of laws.” Jess Phoenix, a Californian geologist, adds that scientists, “have the ability to not only weigh things in a more impartial manner than a lot of other fields because that’s part of our training. But we’re very methodical about it. And we also are really good at creative problem solving.”

STEM, by nature, requires attention to detail, teamwork and cooperation, rational analysis. Scientific research, for example, is built on teamwork and cooperation: our depth of scientific understanding comes from hundreds of hard-working individuals pooling together their ideas, checking over each others’ work and respecting the effort those before them have put in. The scientific method, one of the first introductions to science that many of us have, lays out a step-by-step approach to finding good solutions to big problems- and admitting when those solutions turn out to be incorrect. The values science is built upon- “transparency, a rigorous examination of ideas, review and critique by technically qualified peers, free speech and open exchange, and protection against retaliation for one’s beliefs”- are as applicable in politics as they are in science.

Electing scientists into office will not be the magical solution to this country’s problems- all professions come with flaws, and science is no exception. Skewing study results to get published, pandering for funding, and the toxic culture in academia are a few of the list of issues that plague science. However, they offer a much-needed balance to the generational politicians that hold such a monopoly on Congress. The strengths that they bring- the collaboration, logical acumen, and deep respect for the truth- can act as a remedy to the issues that paralyze Congress. Perhaps rather than constantly getting caught up in political gridlock and intense partisanship, our legislative branch can approach the issues more level-headedly, creatively, and reasonably. Perhaps they would bring the ability to think through an issue: to sit down and talk with opposers, to consult and trust experts, and to make decisions based on the undeniable facts rather than promises made to billionaire buddies or lousy lobbyists.

That’s all well and good, but what’s the actual plan to get scientists in office? Unfortunately, this is a notoriously challenging task. Miller and Phoenix both lost their Congressional elections in 2018, and Goroff lost hers just this year. Scientists are political novices- they face hurdles on the campaign trail that they are not prepared for, unlike the seasoned lawyers and businessmen that run against them. Their opponents are trained in the art of politics; oftentimes their entire careers have built up to running for office, and they have strategists on their teams who specialize in winning elections. They have well-developed networks teeming with wealthy donors ready to bestow hefty donations to a friend in exchange for an IOU. Scientists do not have these experiences or resources. Their campaigns are likely to be grassroots and crowdsourced, and they have to work twice as hard to be noticed. That makes it all the more difficult to actually win a seat.

Thankfully, there are organizations focused on helping scientists get to Capitol Hill. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is a non-profit organization which focuses on supporting scientific education and science outreach for the betterment of humanity. They encourage scientists to take a leap from science and work with Congress. On their website, they proclaim convincingly, “By working with Congress, scientists can ensure that policy decisions are made with an understanding of their scientific foundations and implications.” 3.14 Action is another one of these groups. They proudly state that, “Our mission is unique: to recruit, train, and elect scientists and other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) leaders to public office.” They endorse and provide resources to STEM folks who are considering running for office. This past election, they took the likes of astronaut Mark Kelly under their wings.

As citizens, it is time that we take our exhaustion with Congressional inadequacy to the polls. Scientists have a real chance to reinvigorate our legislative process, and we need to support them in accomplishing that goal.

This essay was originally written for my Seminar in Science Writing class at Stevens Institute of Technology, and modified for Medium.