President Donald Trump fired multiple members of the National Science Board (NSB) on Friday.
White House Axes NSF’s Governing Board
The dismissals, delivered via boilerplate emails from the Presidential Personnel Office, terminated members “effective immediately” with no stated reason, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The NSB guides the National Science Foundation (NSF), a nearly $9 billion agency backing foundational research behind MRI technology, LASIK surgery, and cellphone innovation, and even seeded companies like Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL).
Budget Cuts
According to the report, physicist Keivan Stassun of Vanderbilt University confirmed that at least one-third of members received termination notices. He added that the board has been critical to advising Congress as Trump’s FY2027 budget proposes deep NSF cuts, following a rejected 55% cut last year.
In a statement, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said, “This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science.”
The firings mirror Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s dismissal of 17 CDC vaccine advisory members, actions a federal judge later ruled improper. Ousted CDC experts warned in JAMA that the overhaul left the U.S. vaccine program critically weakened.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Login to comment