Immediate Termination Across the Advisory Panel
The Trump administration fired all 22 members of the National Science Board on Friday, sending termination notices from the Presidential Personnel Office stating their positions were "terminated, effective immediately." The board, created in 1950, advises the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approves major NSF funding awards, and guides the foundation's future direction.
Keivan Stassun, a dismissed board member at Vanderbilt University, called the decision "enormously disappointing" in an email response. Yolanda Gil, who works at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, confirmed that every member of the current board was let go. The board had planned to meet in person the following week and was finalizing a report on the state of U.S. science when the firings occurred.
Potential Impact on Federal Research Funding
The timing of the dismissals removes a potential obstacle to budget cuts the administration has already proposed. The Trump administration attempted to cut the NSF's $9 billion budget by more than half in the previous year, though Congress maintained the foundation's funding. A similar slash is on the table for the coming year.
Stassun warned that without an advisory board in place, such cuts may be easier to execute. He said the move could "eviscerate investments in fundamental research and in the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers for our nation."
Board Structure and Governance Changes
The National Science Board typically comprises 25 members appointed by the president who serve staggered six-year terms. The foundation's headquarters was also relocated to a smaller building, with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development moving into the NSF's former base in Alexandria, Virginia last year.
Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued a statement calling the move "a dangerous attack on the institutions and expertise that drive American innovation and discovery." The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the firings.
