Trump Dismisses National Science Board Members

President Donald Trump has dismissed all 22 current members of the National Science Board (NSB), which oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF). According to multiple reports, members received an email from the Presidential Personnel Office on Friday stating their positions were terminated effective immediately. The NSB was created in 1950 to advise the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approve major funding awards, and guide NSF's future.

The board typically consists of 25 members appointed by the president who serve staggered six-year terms. Dismissed members come from academia and industry with specialties including astronomy, maths, chemistry, and aerospace engineering. Keivan Stassun, a dismissed board member from Vanderbilt University, expressed disappointment at the decision while Yolanda Gil noted that every current member was let go.

The move has drawn criticism from various quarters. Maria Cantwell, top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation called it "a dangerous attack" on American innovation and discovery. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of San José dubbed the terminations "the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation." The White House has not given any reason for dismissing the board members or provided information on when, or even whether, they will be replaced.

The Trump administration tried to cut NSF's $9 billion budget by more than half last year. Congress maintained NSF's funding but a similar slash is once again on the table for the coming year. Without an advisory board in place, such cuts may be easier to execute according to Stassun who warned that it could "eviscerate investments in fundamental research and training of scientists." The NSF director position has been vacant since April 2025 adding further uncertainty about the agency's future.