The administration of United States President Donald Trump has dismissed all 22 members of the board responsible for setting policies for the government-funded national science agency, according to an former board member and lawmakers.
Mass Dismissals Spark Concern
These dismissals at the National Science Board (NSB), which serves as the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), represent the latest action by the Trump administration to significantly restructure government bodies. This follows previous overhauls of multiple agencies, including the Department of Education and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Roger Beachy, who was reappointed to a second six-year term on the science board by Trump in 2020, stated that neither he nor his colleagues were provided with a reason for their termination.
“The termination email was brief and to the point, with a ‘thank you for your service,’” Beachy, an emeritus biology professor at Washington University in St Louis, informed Al Jazeera on Monday.
Beachy indicated his expectation that the Trump administration would appoint a new board but voiced apprehension regarding the nature of the research and education that the agency might support in the future.
“The nature of the board – partisan or independent? – and how it interacts with the agency is of critical importance to the continuing success of the NSF,” Beachy emphasized.
Political Reactions and Lack of Official Comment
Democratic lawmakers, who had previously reported hearing about the dismissals from unspecified sources, strongly criticized the Trump administration’s decision.
“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” asserted Zoe Lofgren, the most senior member of the US House of Representatives’ science committee, in a public statement.
Lofgren questioned, “Will the president fill the NSB with MAGA loyalists who won’t stand up to him as he hands over our leadership in science to our adversaries?” She characterized the firings as a “real bozo the clown move.”
Neither the White House nor the NSF immediately responded to requests for comment, which were sent outside of standard business hours.
Background and Previous Actions Against NSF
While Trump has not yet publicly confirmed or commented on the firings, his administration had previously targeted the NSF for extensive budget cuts. These cuts were reportedly initiated by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
During last year’s cost-cutting initiative, officials reportedly cancelled or suspended over 1,600 NSF grants, amounting to nearly $1 billion.
The NSF, established as an independent federal agency in 1950, allocated more than $8 billion to scientific research and education in 2025, positioning it as one of the largest individual funders of science globally.
Future Outlook
Beachy commented that it was premature to predict the long-term impact of these dismissals on science funding.
“It is important to note that support for the NSF, both statutorily and in terms of its budget, has been bipartisan in the past,” he observed.
“If such support continues, we can have greater optimism for its future and can look forward to the continuing excellence of the US science enterprise.”
#TrumpAdministration #NationalScienceBoard #NSF #SciencePolicy #GovernmentRestructuring #ScienceFunding #USPolitics #MAGA #Innovation #RogerBeachy