Trump Administration Fires National Science Board

On April 24, all 22 members of the National Science Board (NSB) received an email from the Trump Administration stating that they have been “terminated, effective immediately.” The NSB, which was established by statute in 1950, serves as the policymaking and oversight body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. COSSA issued a statement on the dismissal.

White House officials are stating that the decision responds to a 2021 Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Arthrex, that “raised constitutional questions about whether non-Senate confirmed appointees can exercise the authorities that Congress gave the National Science Board.” NSB members are presidentially appointed for six-year terms but do not require Senate confirmation. Legal experts are divided on whether the dismissal was justified.

The firing of the Board members is just the latest action aimed at NSF. The President’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2027 proposed a 55 percent cut to the NSF budget (see related article). In addition, the agency has been without a permanent director for more than a year and has seen most of its external advisory committees eliminated. Further, Trump’s nominee for NSF Director, Jim O’Neill, has not yet been considered by the Senate. The dismissal of the NSB exacerbates the leadership vacuum at NSF, all while its acting leadership continues to reorganize agency and shift priorities.