In our combined 40+ years as researchers, which have included working on studies funded by both governmental and non-governmental groups and — for one of us — working as a federal scientist in both Democratic and Republican administrations, we had never once had our science censored. Until now. Last week, we faced an unprecedented situation: Several studies we previously published in a peer-reviewed journal run by the U.S. government were purged. This is neither normal nor excusable.

In 2024, the peer-reviewed public health journal Preventing Chronic Disease, which is operated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published the results from our study of federal emergency food assistance and rent assistance payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our question was simple: did these policies work? At the core of our work was evaluating whether taxpayer dollars were having an impact. Without rigorous empirical study, it is often unclear which policies work well and which need adjustments.

We chose to publish our findings in this CDC-run journal because, unlike the vast majority of scientific journals, it makes papers freely and immediately available to the public for years to come. Indeed, Preventing Chronic Disease’s stated mission is “… to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers worldwide on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to improve population health.” Last week, however, we discovered a troubling new reality, running contrary to this: nearly half (48%) of the studies published in that journal over the past decade were deleted shortly after the Trump Administration took office. The removal of these studies was quiet and unexplained.

On Feb. 11, after a judge ordered the restoration of CDC data deleted since the new administration took office, our studies appeared online again, at least for the time being. Though we are gratified to see these papers being restored, actions during the past week have been a clear display of power — a statement of the administration’s stance on science, a trial run for future action and, for us, a deep erosion of trust in our government.

We are deeply concerned about this causal act that toys with the accessibility of publicly funded research, coupled with a range of attacks on the public funding of science, publicly available data and federal researchers. We see this as the government playing with truth, a 2025 digital equivalent of book burning. We don’t know why these studies were removed, or who made the decision. It is hard to get a handle on what’s still missing or what will disappear next either from the CDC’s website or any other government site.

This recent CDC purge of research data is in concert with a disturbing trend of evidence being deleted from government platforms, such as the removal of video exhibits used in the sentencing of a Jan. 6 rioter charged in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. We have serious concerns about the government’s selective suppression of information that contradicts its narrative. In both instances, vital data — whether it be scientific research or legal evidence — was removed without explanation or notice, undermining transparency and the public’s right to access critical information.

Ironically, the right wing often points to what has been called “woke culture” as censorship. But a person putting pronouns in their e-mail signature does not restrict someone else’s free speech. When researchers are blocked from accessing and reliably sharing publicly funded research, this is censorship, and it raises questions about government control over what we can and cannot know.

Governmental suppression of science and evidence and the stifling of free speech is not acceptable, and it’s not American. We need to demand that this stop.

Melissa Laska, Ph.D., RD, is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Rachel Widome, Ph.D., MHS, is a professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

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