In subtle rejoinder to Trump, science carries the night at the Sammies awards for federal workers
Source: Washington Post
Federal civil servants were feted Monday with a Hollywood-style awards program bursting with celebrities and bearing a subtle rejection of politically infected science. Actors and comedians were among the presenters, but only government employees were honored for their outstanding work with Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, better known as the Sammies.
Perhaps the biggest celebrity on the program was one who, after decades of service, has been on television more this year than many of the Hollywood stars. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was named Federal Employee of the Year during the program sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit think tank that promotes good government and federal employees.
His selection and the honoring of other government scientists amounted to an understated, if unintended, rebuke to a Trump administration known for undermining science when it doesn’t fit the preferred political narrative. While there has “always been some degree of political friction” in the numerous high-profile public health efforts he has participated in, Fauci, without mentioning President Trump during a telephone interview, said the current level of politics in science “definitely supersedes any of the other ones.”
All the honorees “represent the many exceptional federal employees who have proudly and passionately dedicated their lives to making a difference for our country and our world,” said a statement by Max Stier, the Partnership’s president and chief executive. “They have broken down barriers, pioneered new frontiers of medicine, protected our nation from cybersecurity threats and helped our nation during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sammies-awards-federal-science-/2020/10/06/d9bf61cc-0811-11eb-991c-be6ead8c4018_story.html
The Partnership is strictly nonpartisan, as demonstrated by video remarks from former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and a letter from Trump ...
