More than 2,000 demonstrators gathered on the National Mall on Saturday for a rally organized by the advocacy group Stand Up for Science, criticizing policies of the administration of Donald Trump and calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The event in Washington was part of a broader national and international day of action, with organizers saying more than 50 similar rallies were held around the world to support scientific research and advocate for science-based policy making.
“We’re not taking our foot off the gas. We are moving full force ahead,” said Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science.
Delawalla said she launched the organization last year in response to what she described as attacks on science by the Trump administration. She said the large turnout reflected growing concern among scientists and supporters.
“It means so much,” Delawalla said. “It’s really hard to maintain consistent people pressure, consistent support across a year that’s been so chaotic — especially for scientists.”
Organizers say the administration has cut funding and halted certain research programs that officials say do not meet federal priorities. Administration officials have said those changes are intended to depoliticize science and redirect spending.
Speakers at the rally argued the moves threaten public health and scientific progress.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen told the crowd that the demonstrations in Washington were part of a broader movement.
“We’re looking at an administration that has no regard for the truth,” Van Hollen said. “It’s become an evidence-free zone. It’s a fact-free zone, and that is very dangerous.”
Van Hollen also noted that the thousands gathered in Washington were joined by demonstrators in cities across the United States.
After referencing the recent departure of Kristi Noem from her role leading the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Van Hollen shifted his focus to Kennedy.
“So Kristi Noem is gone, we’ve got to get rid of RFK next,” Van Hollen said. “Because RFK, as you know, poses a clear and present danger to our country. His conspiracy theories and his lies have literally put people’s lives at risk.”
Van Hollen pointed to recent disease outbreaks, including measles, as evidence of the dangers of misinformation about vaccines.
“We should all understand, and the public should understand, when senior health officials lie, it does mean that people die,” he said.
Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam also criticized federal spending priorities, linking the rally’s message to ongoing international tensions involving the United States and Israel and military strikes against Iran.
“We are here today because there’s a continued war on science,” Subramanyam said. “Somehow, someway, this administration has found the money to spend billions on a war that nobody wants, but they can’t find the money to spend it on science that will save lives right here in America.”
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin told demonstrators that protecting scientific research is tied to broader democratic values.
“We’ve got to beat them and take back democracy for people who believe in science,” Raskin said.
Delawalla said the group’s long-term goal is to build public pressure on lawmakers to protect research funding and support science-based public health leadership.
She also pointed to recent leadership changes at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where the agency’s vaccine chief stepped down within the past day, as evidence that public pressure can have an impact.
“There’s a lot of destabilization that’s happened at the FDA,” Delawalla said. “It’s not good for innovation. It’s not good for finding cures for various diseases.”
Until new leadership is installed, she said, the organization plans to continue organizing rallies and encouraging supporters to contact lawmakers.
“People power works,” Delawalla said. “We’re going to keep pushing.”
Click here for more information on Stand Up For Science.
