The National Climate Assessment and USGCRP: dismissed authors, a dark website and a skeptic in charge (2025-2026) Case In April 2025 the administration ended the contract supporting the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), dismissed its staff and released roughly 400 authors of the Sixth National Climate Assessment. The program's website, which hosted past assessments, went dark in July 2025. In July 2026 the White House confirmed it would restore USGCRP, reportedly under Matthew Wielicki, a climate skeptic, and in August 2026 a proposal would weaken the role of the previous assessment in federal policy. Dismantling USGCRP and the Sixth assessment (2025) The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), created by the Global Change Research Act of 1990, coordinates federal climate research and produces the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment. The most recent, the Fifth, came out in 2023. In April 2025 the administration canceled the contract with ICF International, the consulting firm that supports USGCRP and the assessment, and USGCRP officials were fired. One federal employee told the Sabin Center the Sixth assessment was effectively destroyed. On April 28, 2025 all participants in the Sixth assessment received an email saying its scope was being reevaluated under the 1990 act and they were being released from their roles. CNN reported the move would let the administration skip the report or pursue a more skeptical alternative. The USGCRP website, which hosted all past assessments, went dark in July 2025. NASA first said preexisting reports would be hosted on its site, then said it had no legal obligation to host the program's data; copies remain in NOAA's library. In May 2025 House Science Committee Democrats asked the White House science adviser whether DOGE ordered the ICF contract cancellation or the dismissal of the authors. The letter poses the question and does not establish the answer. Reports put the number of dismissed Sixth-assessment authors at about 400. NASA also ended its consulting contract with the company that supports the 15 agencies contributing to the assessment, and author training sessions were canceled. Restoration under a skeptic and the 2026 proposal Eos reports that in December 2025 the administration invited a group of researchers known for climate skepticism to replace the dismissed scientists and begin work on the Sixth assessment again. On July 9, 2026 the White House confirmed USGCRP would be restored, saying the program had been used for political agendas instead of sound science and that it would ensure it fulfills its legal mandate. Matthew Wielicki, a former University of Alabama geologist, updated his X profile to say he is USGCRP's director. The White House did not comment on his role, and Judith Curry, co-author of the Energy Department climate report commissioned by Secretary Chris Wright, congratulated him. S&P Global reported that work on the assessment remained halted. On June 29, 2026 Wielicki asked readers on X what they wanted included in the Sixth assessment, according to Eos. The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative reports that on Aug. 25, 2026 the administration issued a proposal that would weaken the role of the 2023 assessment in federal policy and planning, with public comments due Sept. 9, 2026. What the sources do not establish The sources reviewed do not show whether or when a Sixth National Climate Assessment will be published, or who the new authors are. No source reviewed shows that DOGE ordered the contract cancellation or the author dismissals; the House letter only asks the question. Perspectives Official position — White House spokesperson The White House says USGCRP has long been used as a vehicle for political agendas instead of sound science, that the administration is committed to using the best scientific information to inform public policy, and that it looks forward to restoring the program and ensuring it fulfills its legal mandate. Critic — Union of Concerned Scientists The Union of Concerned Scientists says rebuilding USGCRP only to place the National Climate Assessment under an unqualified climate science denier would jeopardize the integrity of a key national resource, and calls on Congress to ensure the program remains independent, transparent and compliant with the law. Expert view — Dismissed authors and assessment scientists Rachel Cleetus, a dismissed author, said the administration had undercut a key climate science report by dismissing its authors without cause or a plan. Katharine Hayhoe, a lead author of three past assessments, said the accelerating pace and scale of climate impacts make a sustained, more comprehensive assessment process essential. Editorial read — The Author (site author) The Author's view is that a national climate assessment should be written by qualified scientists and reviewed independently, whoever runs the program. This is interpretation. The record shows the authors dismissed, the website taken down and the program restored under a leader critics call unqualified. The White House says it will fulfill its legal mandate, and the sources reviewed show no completed Sixth assessment. Research notes Open leads: (1) The details of the Aug. 25, 2026 proposal on the role of the Fifth National Climate Assessment come from an advocacy group (EDGI) and should be checked against the Federal Register notice; (2) the December 2025 invitation to researchers known for climate skepticism comes from Eos and should be confirmed with a second source; (3) whether the House Science Democrats' May 2025 question to the White House science adviser, about whether DOGE ordered the ICF contract cancellation, was ever answered; (4) the Wielicki appointment is reported by POLITICO via S&P Global and Eos, and the White House did not comment on his role. Note The White House says USGCRP "has been used as a vehicle for political agendas instead of sound science" and that it will restore the program and fulfill its legal mandate. Critics, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, say the new leadership is unqualified. The sources reviewed do not show whether or when a Sixth assessment will be published. Sources [1] Sabin Center (Columbia): Trump Administration Deals Potentially Fatal Blow to National Climate Assessment (https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/trump-administration-deals-potentially-fatal-blow-national-climate-assessment) · 2025-04 [2] CNN (via KTVZ): Trump administration dismisses all authors of major climate report, throwing US assessment into limbo (https://ktvz.com/cnn-other/2025/04/29/trump-administration-dismisses-all-authors-of-major-climate-report-throwing-us-assessment-into-limbo/) · 2025-04-29 [3] Union of Concerned Scientists: Authors for Forthcoming Sixth National Climate Assessment Disbanded by Trump Administration (https://www.ucs.org/about/news/authors-forthcoming-sixth-national-climate-assessment-disbanded-trump-administration) · 2025-04-28 [4] Scientific American: Top Website for Crucial U.S. Climate Information Goes Dark (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-national-climate-assessments-website-goes-dark/) · 2025-07 [5] NPR (via Hawaii Public Radio): The Trump administration reverses its promise to publish key climate reports online (https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/national-international/2025-07-15/the-trump-administration-reverses-its-promise-to-publish-key-climate-reports-online) · 2025-07-15 [6] S&P Global: White House picks science skeptic to head flagship climate research program (https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/070926-white-house-picks-science-skeptic-to-head-flagship-climate-research-program) · 2026-07-09 [7] Eos: U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Climate Assessment now headed by Matthew Wielicki (https://eos.org/?p=248932) · 2026-07 [8] Environmental Data & Governance Initiative: Trump Administration Moves to Amend National Climate Study (https://envirodatagov.org/?p=14848) · 2026-08 [9] Union of Concerned Scientists: Trump Admin Hands Control of U.S. Global Change Research Program to Climate Skeptic (https://www.ucs.org/about/news/climate-skeptic-lead-global-change-research) · 2026-07-09 [10] House Science Committee Democrats: Letter to OSTP Director Kratsios on USGCRP and the National Climate Assessment (https://democrats-science.house.gov/download/2025-05-05-letter-to-director-kratsios&download=1) · 2025-05-05 [11] Yahoo News (syndicated): Trump administration dismisses 400 authors of National Climate Assessment (https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-dismisses-400-authors-231000845.html) · 2025-04-29 Connections Related — DOE's secret 'Climate Working Group' built the case for repealing the Endangerment Finding S&P Global reports that Judith Curry, co-author of the Energy Department climate report used to support repealing the endangerment finding, congratulated the new USGCRP director. Related — Extreme weather in the U.S.: what federal assessments document, and where the evidence is weaker (2023-2025) That entry draws on the Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023); this one covers the dismantling of the program that produces the assessments.