Trump fires National Science Board

The Trump administration dismissed all 22 sitting members of the National Science Board, the panel that oversees the National Science Foundation, with terminations effective April 24. (nature.com) The National Science Board was created by Congress in 1950, and its members are presidential appointees who serve six-year terms. The board sets National Science Foundation policy, approves major awards and advises both Congress and the president on science and engineering. (nsf.gov 1) (nsf.gov 2) Former board members told news outlets they received brief emails saying they were terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” and Nature reported they were given no explanation at the time. (nature.com) (snopes.com) The move strips oversight from one of the federal government’s biggest research funders at a moment when the National Science Foundation is already under strain. NSF’s fiscal 2024 budget was about $9.06 billion, and the agency has faced grant delays and leadership turmoil this year. (nsf.gov) (insidehighered.com) Nature reported that the administration has terminated more than 100 advisory committees tied to science agencies and has also reduced the openness or independence of some panels that remain. (nature.com) That broader campaign has coincided with deep disruptions in federal research funding. Nature reported in January that more than 7,800 research grants had been terminated or frozen and about 25,000 scientists and staff had left agencies overseeing research. (nature.com) The board also produces the congressionally mandated Science and Engineering Indicators, a recurring snapshot of the country’s research output, workforce and competitiveness. Its recent publications have focused on subjects including STEM talent and U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and quantum technology. (nsf.gov) Republican Congressman Brian Babin defended the firings to Nature, while White House officials told outlets the dismissals were tied to what they called constitutional concerns over limits on presidential removal power. (nature.com) (snopes.com) For now, the National Science Foundation is left without the outside board that normally signs off on major decisions, even as the administration reshapes how federal science is governed. (insidehighered.com) (nsf.gov)