Trump Administration Terminates National Science Board Members
The Trump administration has dismissed all members of the National Science Board, the independent body responsible for overseeing the National Science Foundation (NSF).
On Friday, members of the National Science Board received an email from the Presidential Personnel Office, sent on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, informing them that their positions were "terminated, effective immediately."
"I wasn’t entirely surprised, to be honest,"said board member Keivan Stassun, a professor at Vanderbilt University.
"The decision was enormously disappointing."
Role and Composition of the National Science Board
Established in 1950, the National Science Board advises the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approves significant funding awards, and guides the NSF's strategic direction.
The board typically consists of 25 members appointed by the president, each serving staggered six-year terms. The dismissed members come from academia and industry, specializing in fields such as astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, and aerospace engineering.
According to terminated member Yolanda Gil, all 22 current board members were removed. The board had been preparing for an in-person meeting scheduled for the following week and was finalizing a report on the status of U.S. science.
"I think this is one more indication of the sweeping changes that the administration has in mind for the NSF,"Gil, who is affiliated with the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California, stated.
Political Reactions and Funding Concerns
Senator Maria Cantwell, the leading Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, criticized the move as
"a dangerous attack on the institutions and expertise that drive American innovation and discovery."
Last year, the Trump administration proposed cutting the NSF's $9 billion budget by more than half. Although Congress maintained the funding, similar reductions are being considered for the upcoming fiscal year.
Keivan Stassun warned that without an advisory board, such budget cuts might be easier to implement, potentially
"eviscerat[ing] investments in fundamental research and in the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers for our nation."
Additional Changes at the NSF
The NSF's headquarters was also moved to a smaller facility. In the previous year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to occupy the NSF's former headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Official Responses
The National Science Foundation referred requests for comment to the White House. In an official statement, the White House indicated that the powers granted to the National Science Board at its inception may require modernization. The statement affirmed that the NSF's operations
"continue uninterrupted."
