President Trump dismisses all 22 members of the National Science Foundation's oversight board.
President Trump dismissed 22 members of
Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01361-7
Trump fires NSF's oversight board | Science | AAAS
https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-fires-nsf-s-oversight-board
Trump purges National Science Board: Scientists warn of AI shift - Los Angeles Times
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-04-26/trump-purges-national-science-board-scientists-warn-of-ai-shift
The NSF and NSB are organizations established in 1950 that meet five times a year and publish reports on the state of science and engineering to help guide the President and Congress. The next meeting was scheduled for May 5, 2026, and was to feature a report stating that 'America is lagging behind China in the field of science.'
Regarding the sudden dismissal, computer scientist Dan Reed, who served as chairman of the NSB from 2022 to 2024, said, 'This measure to dissolve the NSB is unprecedented. What we need is a vibrant, independent NSB, an organization that represents the entire field of science and engineering.'
Because the NSB was established by a Congressional Act, it can only be formally dissolved by Congress. However, Vanderbilt University astrophysicist Keyvan Stassan says that the dismissal of NSB commissioners aligns with the Trump administration's approach of dismantling or emasculating organizations that provide scientific advice, and that he thought it was only a matter of time before it happened.
Representative Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, also strongly criticized the move, saying, 'This move is the latest blunder from a president who continues to harm science and American innovation. It's unfortunate that a president who has attacked the NSF since his first day in office is now trying to dismantle the advisory board that helps the foundation develop its guidelines.' Republican Representative Brian Babin, chair of the House Science Committee, did not respond to Nature's request for comment.
Under the Trump administration, in 2025, all 17 members of the Immunization Implementation Council, which played a crucial role in vaccine policy, were dismissed, and 14 NSF councils were also abolished. Furthermore, along with government spending cuts, orders were issued to disband several councils, including the Long COVID Committee, under the guise of 'promoting American freedom and innovation.'
As Senator Lofgren pointed out, the Trump administration attempted to cut the NSF's budget for the second consecutive year, but the budget proposal was rejected by Congress. Furthermore, the number of staff has been reduced by more than 30% since January 2025, and the headquarters facilities were vacated in December 2025. Further departmental cuts are also planned.
Roger Beechy, a biologist at the University of Washington who was appointed to the NSB by President Barack Obama in 2014 and reappointed by President Trump when his term expired in 2020, commented on the dismissal, saying, 'Who will help us with the future of science in this country?' He also expressed concern about the future, asking, 'Will the NSB become an agency led by the White House, or will it become an agency led and managed by science and scientists?'
Meanwhile, Malvi Matos Rodriguez, an engineer involved in the nuclear fusion industry and one of the dismissed committee members, prefaced his remarks by saying he respects the members of the NSB, but agreed with the criticism that the NSB did not speak up enough when the NSF became a target of the Trump administration. He commented to Nature, 'I think the scientific community, the NSF members, and those who wanted the NSB to speak up were right. We should have spoken up all along.'
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