'Leftist' taxpayer-funded academy sparks backlash after moving against Trump's rollback of key regulation

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FIRST ON FOX: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — a largely taxpayer-funded body that has taken in hundreds of millions in federal dollars — is facing pushback for fast-tracking a climate review that critics say is an attempt to undermine the Trump administration's energy agenda.

Earlier this month, Politico reported that NASEM is using "internal funding" to pay for a review that will be released in September in order to "inform" the Environmental Protection Agency's move to rescind the Obama-era greenhouse gas endangerment finding, a cornerstone of climate regulation that conservatives say has strangled American energy production.

That effort is being led by molecular biologist Shirley M. Tilghman who, in addition to being a member of NASEM, serves as an External Science Advisor to the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group tied to the progressive consulting behemoth Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that pushes a variety of progressive causes. 

Critics tell Fox News Digital they have concerns about the timing of this move and the possible political motives attached to the fast-tracked review. 

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President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

"NASEM's decision to do a fast-track study on greenhouse gas emissions and endangerment in response to the EPA rule undermines the legitimacy of the National Academies," Daren Bakst, Director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment, told Fox News Digital. 

"The process shows the numerous problems with what they are doing. On August 7, NASEM announced they were doing a report to be finished in September. That is an incredible rush job that by itself undermines the legitimacy of what they are doing. Likely, the report has already been written in whole or in part, given the timing. This rush gives the impression they have their conclusions and are just working backwards. "

Conservatives have long argued that groups tied to Arabella Advisors operate as a "dark money" network, influencing policy debates and shaping research priorities behind the scenes. This dynamic reflects a growing entanglement between research institutions and ideologically driven funding streams. 

The concern is heightened by the fact that NASEM derives roughly 85% of its budget from federal funds.

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"To me, it seems like a move to protect NASEM's position as the gatekeeper of official science," Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital. "I think it's appropriate to ask whether government-funded researchers and organizations might have a conflict of interest in setting the terms of the climate debate. For example, it's clear that more alarm means more research funding."

Regarding the Arabella connection, Fisher said that "any overlap" between the NASEM effort and political advocacy groups "deserves scrutiny."

"I'd like to know who pushed for NASEM's involvement in the first place and whether ideological groups applied any pressure to get NASEM to join the political fray," Fisher said. "In any case, I'm surprised to see NASEM inject itself into inherently political fights over EPA policy."

James Taylor, President of the Heartland Institute, told Fox News Digital that NASEM is a "leftist" and "statist" institution that is "funded by and dependent on big government."

Fox News Digital previously reported that NASEM, sometimes referred to as NAS, has raked in hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds in recent years while doling out hefty salaries to its top brass and bankrolling a variety of left-wing initiatives. 

"It has long since stopped being a scientific organization and is now merely a political one," Taylor said. 

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Former President Barack Obama (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

"For example, in a recent so-called climate science assessment, only 22% of the authors had PhDs, which was equaled by the 22% of authors who worked for environmental activist groups. Counting Democrat politicians who were also co-authors, the NAS assessment had more environmental activists writing the report than actual scientists. NAS is a joke and has no credibility at all."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NASEM spokesperson said, "This fast-track study is being funded by private donations, and is intended to inform public comments requested by EPA."

"The New Venture Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization that uses a fiscal sponsorship model to support a wide range of nonpartisan projects," a New Venture Fund spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We fully support efforts to increase funding for foundational science and proudly served as Science Philanthropy Alliance’s fiscal sponsor until it spun off in 2023."

"Arabella Advisors is an independent organization and one of our many vendors. They do not 'manage' New Venture Fund or have any say in our funding or fiscal sponsorship decisions."

The revelation comes as the Trump administration seeks to rescind the Obama-era greenhouse gas endangerment finding, a cornerstone of climate regulation that critics say has strangled American energy production.

The 45-day public comment period for the proposal is set to end in mid-September. 

The 2009 Endangerment Finding, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declared that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide "threaten both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations."

This finding established the EPA’s legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

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Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building in Washington DC (Getty)

In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to roll back the assessment, claiming it has fueled an avalanche of regulations that have cost the U.S. economy over $1 trillion. He doubled down again in July during a speech in Indiana, delivered against a backdrop of trucks, while slamming the Biden-Harris Administration’s electric vehicle mandate.

"With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers," Zeldin said, adding that regulatory relief will give U.S. consumers affordable choices when car shopping.

An Arabella spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Arabella "does not fund any organizations."

"We are a professional services firm that provides administrative and operational support such as compliance, HR, and accounting to nonprofit clients. We are not a donor and we are not a funder."

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].