&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump wipes off entire science board days before crucial report on US-China race was due - Why it matters")
Donald Trump has fired all 22 members of the National Science Board, and this decision could prove ominous for America. An email sent to them on Friday read, "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” their positions were "terminated, effective immediately." No explanation was offered for the decision that has shocked scientists across the country. The evisceration of the entire National Science Board could have serious repercussions on the future of scientific endeavours. However, the sudden move could be a way to make way for people who align more closely with the administration's mindset and goals. NSB members are appointed by the president, and each of them holds the position for six years, with the terms overlapping. Notably, according to other members who spoke to Nature News, the board's next meeting was scheduled for May 5, which was about to release a major report that could have shaken the foundation of the scientific community in the United States.
Why the National Science Board story matters
The reason for removing all 22 members has not been revealed. The NSB is an independent advisory board which helps steer the National Science Foundation. It advises the president and Congress on scientific and engineering issues. The board releases a report about every two years for Congress called Science and Engineering Indicators. It provides details on where the United States stands in the fields of R&D, STEM education, and workforce development, and is considered a "gold standard" against which the country's progress in the field is compared with the rest of the world. On May 5, the board was reportedly set to release a report stating that America is falling behind China in the field of science. The terminated board members are worried about the political interference and believe the latest decision is aimed at placing people who align with the administration's goals.
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Trump bulldozed through the National Science Board last year
Experts are angry at the decision to suddenly remove all members of the NSB. Keivan Stassun, a professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University, was among those terminated. He told The Los Angeles Times that it was “a wholesale evisceration of American leadership in science and technology globally.” Stassun is also the director of the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-intensive Astrophysics. This is not the first time the Trump administration has made a move on the board. In 2025, it proposed cutting its $9 billion budget by 55 per cent, terminating a huge number of staff members. Hundreds of active research grants were also ended, while new grants started lagging.
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Why was National Science Board members terminated?
The director of the board appointed by Trump resigned, and he later nominated biotech investor Jim O’Neill, who holds no scientific expertise. Roger Beachy, another member who was terminated, believes O’Neill will bring in his own men. This happened with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a known anti-vaxxer, removed all 17 members of a vaccine advisory board and replaced them with unqualified members who shared Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views.
