Trump administration fires every member of the National Science Board

The Trump administration fired all 22 members of the National Science Board (NSB), which oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF), last Friday. This unprecedented move gives the administration direct control over the country's $9 billion independent research agency.

Congress created the NSB in 1950 to act as a nonpartisan advisory board. It oversees NSF policies and approves major research grants. Members usually serve staggered six-year terms to keep the board stable through different administrations while ensuring its neutrality. A White House official was quoted by Reuters as saying that the board's powers may need updating. The official, however, clarified that the National Science Foundation's work "continues uninterrupted."

'A dangerous attack'

Lawmakers and scientists reacted quickly and strongly. Democratic lawmakers called the mass firing a blow to American innovation. "This is a dangerous attack on our nation's ability to compete and innovate," said Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. 

"This action, combined with the administration's devastating proposed budget cuts to the National Science Foundation, signals a reckless disregard for the scientific enterprise and the universities and broader innovation ecosystem that anchor our nation's competitiveness," she added.

Similarly, ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) called the terminations a "real bozo the clown move." "The NSB is apolitical. It advises the president on the future of NSF...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?" he questioned.

Willie E. May, one of the terminated board members and vice president of research and economic development at Morgan State University in Maryland, told The New York Times that he was "deeply disappointed" but not "entirely surprised." "I have watched the systematic dismantling of the scientific advisory infrastructure of this government with growing alarm, and the National Science Board is simply the latest casualty," he said. 

Latest purge signals wider scientific overhaul

The recent removal of board members marks another major change in a year of turmoil for the National Science Foundation. The trouble began in April 2025, when Director Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned, and staff from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) started working at the agency to cancel many active research grants.

In May, board member Alondra Nelson also stepped down, directly blaming the DOGE intervention. She said the Elon Musk-led effort had taken control over grant decisions, bypassing expert peer review and deciding outcomes "by fiat."

The Trump administration's budget strategy has followed the same pattern of disruption. Last year, Congress stopped a proposed 55% budget cut, but the White House is again asking for major reductions for 2027. A key part of this shift is the nomination of biotech investor and former HHS official Jim O'Neill to head the agency. If Congress approves him, O'Neill would be the first NSF leader without a formal background in science or engineering.