Trump Fires All 22 Members of National Science Board Overseeing NSF

The Trump Administration terminated all 22 members of the National Science Board, the independent body that governs and advises the National Science Foundation. Members received termination notices on April 24 from the Presidential Personnel Office informing them their positions had been eliminated. The National Science Board, composed of eminent scientists, establishes policies for the NSF and advises the president and Congress on science policy. The mass firing raised alarm among scientists about the independence of scientific advisory bodies, the autonomy of the $9 billion federal science funding agency, and American scientific leadership. Multiple board members confirmed receiving abrupt termination messages signed on behalf of the president. The action represents an unprecedented dismantling of an independent scientific oversight body that has operated since 1950.

"Members received termination notices from the Presidential Personnel Office informing them their positions had been eliminated." — Documentation of the abrupt termination process as reported by multiple board members who received identical notices on April 24, 2026.