US Science in turmoil: Trump administration fires all National Science Board members

In a significant move, the Trump administration has reportedly fired all 22 members of the National Science Board (NSB), the body that governs the government-funded National Science Foundation. 

This mass dismissal is the latest step in a radical restructuring of the federal workforce, following downsizing of the Department of Education and the effective elimination of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

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“The termination email was brief and to the point, with a ‘thank you for your service,” Beachy, an emeritus biology professor at Washington University in St Louis, told Al Jazeera.

“The nature of the board – partisan or independent? – and how it interacts with the agency is of critical importance to the continuing success of the NSF,” Beachy said.

“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” Zoe Lofgren, the most senior member of the US House of Representatives’ science committee, said in a statement.

Given the gravity of the situation, Democratic lawmakers-who had earlier reported receiving notice of the firings from unspecified sources- condemned the Trump administration’s action. 

Under a cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in 2025, the administration scrapped or halted over 1,600 NSF grants totaling nearly $1 billion in savings.

The administration previously proposed halving the NSF’s budget and has consistently targeted the agency for sweeping reductions to decrease federal spending. 

Founded in 1950, the NSF is a cornerstone of American innovation; in 2025 alone, it invested over $8 billion into scientific research and education. 

However, the agency has been without a confirmed director for a year and has reportedly lost approximately one-third of its staff since the beginning of 2025 due to layoffs and resignations.