All members of 22-person National Science Board dismissed by Trump

In a surprising and unprecedented move, the entire 22-member board that provides guidance to the National Science Foundation was fired via email "on behalf of President Donald J. Trump," per Scientific American.

What's happening?

On April 24, all of the members of the NSF's board, also called the National Science Board, who normally serve six-year terms, were "terminated, effective immediately," and reportedly received no explanation for the sudden firings.

Critics were quick to jump on the executive branch's decision. One former chair of the NSB, Dan Reed, told Scientific American that "this action to dismiss the NSB is unprecedented."

Not all of the board members were shocked by the move. Willie May, one such member of the NSB, wrote in an email to the New York Times, "I am deeply disappointed, though I cannot say I am entirely surprised. I have watched the systematic dismantling of the scientific advisory infrastructure of this government with growing alarm, and the NSB is simply the latest casualty."

Why is the NSB important?

In a blog post, the CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Gretchen Goldman, explained that "the move is troubling because the NSB plays a critical role in oversight, accountability, and transparency in how the nation's premier scientific research agency makes decisions on everything from major research investments, to international partnerships, to merit criteria for grantmaking."

And the NSB has been instrumental in aiding major technological breakthroughs for the U.S., including the development of the internet and GPS.

The NSB meets five times annually, and it creates guiding documents to inform Congress, as well as the president, on issues of science, technology, and engineering. It also helps manage the NSF's over $9 billion budget, primarily allocated to research and education efforts intended to be investments that pay dividends through advancing new technologies and maintaining American dominance in key tech industries.

Another former NSB member, Roger Beachy, asked: "Where will [this] advice come from? ... Who will help with what is the future of science in this nation?"

A broader pattern

This action fits within a pattern of attacks against the NSF and broader governmental science work. Last year, the executive branch attempted to cut the NSF's budget by roughly 55%, but Congress rejected the plan. Yet the agency's staff has shrunk by over 30% since the beginning of 2025.

The Union of Concerned Scientists said, based on its count, there have been at least "562 attacks on science this term." 

As noted by Scientific American, the NSB can only be officially dissolved by a congressional act, as it was formed by Congress in the first place. There is still no public explanation for the firings, but whether for budgetary or ideological reasons, the executive branch clearly intends to take any other steps it can to further shrink or reshape the NSB moving forward.

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