White House Fires Entire National Science Board Overseeing NSF

WASHINGTON — The White House has dismissed the entire National Science Board, the body that oversees the National Science Foundation, alarming researchers who see the board as a safeguard for independent decisions on federal science funding.

Each of the board’s 22 seated members received an email on Friday afternoon, April 24, stating that on behalf of President Donald Trump their positions were “terminated, effective immediately.” No reason was given at the time.

White House Explanation

In a statement later sent to NPR, the White House said the firings were consistent with the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision in United States v. Arthrex, which it said raised constitutional questions about whether appointees not confirmed by the Senate can exercise the authorities Congress gave the board. The White House said it looked forward to working with Congress to update the board’s governing statute and that the foundation’s work would continue uninterrupted.

Legal scholars expressed confusion. Jeff Powell, a Duke University law professor and expert on the Constitution’s appointments clause, told NPR there was a puzzling disconnect between the firings and the explanation, since removing the members would not resolve the constitutional question the White House raised.

Role of the Board

Congress created the National Science Board in 1950, alongside the NSF, a major funder of basic research in science, mathematics and engineering, particularly at U.S. universities. Members, mostly academics and industry leaders, are appointed by the president to staggered six-year terms designed to prevent complete turnover. The board approves the foundation’s major programs and awards, helps shape its budget and publishes reports on the state of U.S. science and engineering.

The board’s next meeting had been scheduled for May 5, and members said a report on the United States ceding scientific ground to China was due to be released.

Scientists React

Dan Reed, a University of Utah computer scientist who chaired the board from 2022 to 2024, called the dismissal unprecedented and said the nation needs a vibrant, independent board. Willie May, a former director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and one of the fired members, told NPR he was deeply disappointed but not surprised, describing the board as the latest casualty in a broader dismantling of government science advice.

Roger Beachy, a Washington University in St. Louis biologist first appointed by President Barack Obama and reappointed by Trump in 2020, asked where scientific advice would now come from.

Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, sharply criticized the move, saying the president had attacked the NSF from his first day in office.

Broader Pressure on NSF

The firings follow other actions targeting the agency. The administration’s budget request sought to cut about $4.7 billion from the NSF’s roughly $9 billion budget, and thousands of previously approved grants have been rescinded. The administration also dismissed all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee last year.