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Movement

March for Science

Website:

https://marchforscience.org

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The March for Science is a left-of-center movement that advocates for environmentalist policies and opposed Trump administration initiatives. March for Science endorses left-of-center policies including abortion access,1 expansionist approaches to immigration,2 and environmentalist regulations. 3 March for Science is backed by left-wing groups including Planned Parenthood,4 the American Civil Liberties Union,5 and the Sierra Club. 6

Environmentalist Policies

March for Science has pushed for large scale environmentalist government programs. Participants at the New York March for Science in 2019 demanded the adoption of the left-wing Green New Deal (GND). 7 Prominent critics called the GND a “radical, top-down, socialist makeover of the entire U.S. economy”8 and an estimate found it could cost upwards of $90 trillion over a ten-year federal budget window if enacted. 9 March for Science also asked state governors to sign onto the Paris Climate Agreement after President Trump withdrew the United States. 10

March for Science has called on multiple universities to divest from fossil fuels. Raleigh March for Science called on the University of North Carolina System to divest from fossil fuels;11 the Arizona State University March for Science demanded ASU divest. 12

Opposing the Trump Administration

March for Science opposed a wide range of Trump administration policies. March for Science objected to President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),13 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,14 and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 15 The group also opposed the administration-backed 2017 tax reform law (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act)16 and the attempted Obamacare repeal legislation (Better Care Reconciliation Act). 17

The Trump administration’s policies toward energy production have encountered resistance from March for Science. In 2018, the Trump administration replaced the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Energy Rule, which would allow currently operating coal power plants to stay in service longer. The March for Science shared a link to an article from the left-wing United Kingdom based newspaper The Guardian that attacked the regulatory changes. 18

March for Science opposes the Trump administration’s immigration policies. In a tweet linking to an article on the administration’s controversial family separation policy, the March for Science claimed that “Detention and forced separation cause toxic stress and lifelong trauma.” 19 March for Science also supported continuing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era executive measure granting legal status to certain illegal immigrants. 20

March for Science tweeted a link to an article by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) criticizing pro-life policies. 21 DeGette decried the Trump administration’s decision to bar medical clinics that offer abortion or refer patients to abortion care from receiving federal funding under Title X. 22

Prominent Supporters

Socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has expressed support for the March for Science on multiple occasions. In January 2019, he posted on Facebook “Congratulations to those scientists and researchers who are fighting back.” 23 Following the March for Science 2017, Sanders tweeted that President Trump should listen to “scientists who are out on the streets.” 24

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) both spoke at the March for Science Seattle 2018. Jayapal used her remarks to criticize a wide range of Republican policies. 25 She called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the “GOP tax scam,” called for gun control, and spoke in favor of the federal government subsidizing college tuition. 26 Jayapal also rebuked the Trump Administrations rollback of Obama-era regulatory red tape and opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Pelosi quipped that under the Trump administration the EPA should be renamed the “Enabling Pollution Agency.” 27

Billionaire environmentalist activist and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer sponsored and spoke at the March for Science Los Angeles in 2017. 28 Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) tweeted out a link to help Wisconsinites find marches in her state. 29

Associations with Left-Wing Groups

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) supports the March for Science. The ACLU of Delaware encouraged people to attend the 2017 March for Science. 30 The ACLU and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund produced a “Know Your Rights” guide for people participating in the march. 31

Planned Parenthood joined the March for Science in 2017. 32 In a press release Planned Parenthood “committed to working alongside those marching this weekend” to expand abortion access in America. 33

The San Francisco March for Science counted several left-wing groups as partners including Center for Biological Diversity, 500 Women Scientists, United Automobile Workers (UAW), and Citizens Climate Lobby. 34

Other left-of-center groups that support the March for Science include The Nation 35 and the Sierra Club. 36

March for Science has supported left-of-center groups such as the Women’s March,37 labor unions,38 and Amazon Watch. 39 Additionally, the March for Science encouraged students to walk out of class on September 20th, 2019 as part of the Climate Strike. 40

References

  1. March for Science. Twitter Post. May 31, 2018. 3:15 PM. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1002267355697868800
  2. March for Science. Twitter Post. March 6, 2019. 11:57 AM. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1103338867376181248
  3. March for Science. Twitter Post. March 12, 2019. 10:15 PM https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1105653454758862849
  4. “Planned Parenthood Supports March for Science.” Planned Parenthood, April 21, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-supports-march-for-science.
  5. “March for Science.” ACLU Delaware, April 22, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.aclu-de.org/en/events/march-science.
  6. Hays, Jake, and Seth BC Shonkoff. “It’s Time to March for Science.” Sierra Club, April 19, 2017. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/it-s-time-march-for-science.
  7. https://nyunews.com/news/2019/05/06/nyc-wall-street-march-for-science/
  8. McConnell, Mitch. Twitter Post. March 25, 2019, 5:18 P.M. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1110289975386492929
  9. Holtz-Eakin, Douglas, Dan Bosch, Ben Gitis, Dan Goldbeck, and Philip Rossetti. “The Green New Deal: Scope, Scale, and Implications.” American Action Forum. February 25, 2019. Accessed April 24, 2019. https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/the-green-new-deal-scope-scale-and-implications/.
  10. March for Science. Twitter Post. September 18, 2018. 6:20 PM. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1042176455692697601
  11. March for Science Raleigh. Twitter Post. September 18, 2019. 7:57 AM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/SciMarchRaleigh/status/1174291238461280261
  12. “ASU March for Science.” Facebook. Accessed October 1, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/events/old-main/asu-march-for-science/1019438678160478/.
  13. March for Science. Twitter Post. November 16, 2019. 2:48 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1063519095033860100
  14. March for Science. Twitter Post. April 28, 2019. 11:41 AM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1122526350991155201
  15. March for Science. Twitter Post. November 2, 2017. 9:31 AM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/926079197939986432
  16. March for Science. Twitter Post. November 21, 2017. 8:11 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/933140825290162176
  17. March for Science. Twitter Post. June 30, 2017. 1:17 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/880837769353940992
  18. March for Science. Twitter Post. August 28, 2018. 4:18 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1034535679768907776
  19. March for Science. Twitter Post. July 24, 2019. 4:43 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1154129893795467265
  20. March for Science. Twitter Post. March 6, 2019. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1103338867376181248
  21. March for Science. Twitter Post. May 31, 2018. 3:15 PM. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1002267355697868800
  22. DeGette, Diana. “Title X: Making Reproductive Health Care Available to All.” TheHill, May 29, 2018. Accessed October 1, 2019. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/389695-title-x-making-reproductive-health-care-available-to-all.
  23. Tognotti, Chris. “Bernie Responds To The March For Science.” Bustle, April 22, 2017. Accssed September 24, 2019. https://www.bustle.com/p/bernie-sanders-response-to-the-march-for-science-was-a-direct-shot-at-donald-trump-53004.
  24. Tognotti, Chris. “Bernie Responds To The March For Science.” Bustle, April 22, 2017. Accssed September 24, 2019. https://www.bustle.com/p/bernie-sanders-response-to-the-march-for-science-was-a-direct-shot-at-donald-trump-53004.
  25. “March for Science Seattle 2018 – Official.” Facebook Watch, April 14, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/MarchforScienceSeattle/videos/2173408859351141/.
  26. “March for Science Seattle 2018 – Official.” Facebook Watch, April 14, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/MarchforScienceSeattle/videos/2173408859351141/.
  27. “March for Science Seattle 2018 – Official.” Facebook Watch, April 14, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/MarchforScienceSeattle/videos/2173408859351141/.
  28. “March For Science Los Angeles – Complete Speeches.” YouTube. YouTube, April 25, 2017. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcrVNFISeqg&t=2041s.
  29. Senator Tammy Baldwin. Twitter Post. April 22, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/SenatorBaldwin/status/855780732462972928
  30. “March for Science.” ACLU Delaware, April 22, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.aclu-de.org/en/events/march-science
  31. “March for Science: Know Your Rights.” Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. Accessed September 27, 2019. https://www.csldf.org/march/.
  32. “Planned Parenthood Supports March for Science.” Planned Parenthood, April 21, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-supports-march-for-science.
  33. “Planned Parenthood Supports March for Science.” Planned Parenthood, April 21, 2017. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-supports-march-for-science.
  34. “March for Science – San Francisco.” March for Science – San Francisco. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.marchforsciencesf.com/.
  35. McKibben, Bill. “On April 29, We March for the Future.” The Nation, May 19, 2017. https://www.thenation.com/article/on-april-29-we-march-for-the-future/.
  36. Hays, Jake, and Seth BC Shonkoff. “It’s Time to March for Science.” Sierra Club, April 19, 2017. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/it-s-time-march-for-science.
  37. “2019 Partners.” Women’s March. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://womensmarch.com/2019-partners.
  38. March for Science. Twitter Post. September 22, 2019. 5:48 PM. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://twitter.com/MarchForScience/status/1175889507477884930
  39. Amazon Watch. Twitter Post. September 10, 2019. 12:40 PM. https://twitter.com/AmazonWatch/status/1171463496657035265
  40. “Scientists Join the Global Climate Strike.” March For Science. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://marchforscience.org/scientists-join-the-global-climate-strike/.
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