A rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management, “Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service,” will end civil service as we know it.

This proposal appears to be a politically motivated attempt to gain outsized control of vast swaths of public servants in a manner that will both undermine the security of the United States and dramatically reduce its prominence on the world stage.

As a science professor at Johns Hopkins, I can say with certainty that this will be particularly catastrophic for the scientific community. Our work depends on apolitical leaders who are tied to established, well-documented, and evidence-based science for establishing and prioritizing the direction of current and future science funding and policies.

The injection of undeniably partisan politics into scientific disciplines would decimate our ability to perform independent, evidence-based work for the common good and advancement of the American people—and world.

This proposed legislation has the potential to set U.S. science back years, if not decades, and will ultimately undercut our ability to remain competitive on the world stage in virtually all areas—business, technology, healthcare, military, disease prevention, manufacturing, materials science, and AI, to name a few.

A recent poll indicated that due to the current political climate, upwards of 75% of US scientists, myself included, are considering leaving the country as a result of changes brought about by the current administration. The downstream effects of such a brain drain pose an imminent threat to the financial, political, health, and intelligence enterprise of the entire United States.

Today is the last day to comment on this proposed rule. Please add your voice.