Trump Administration Terminates All 22 National Science Board Members

The Trump administration fired all 22 members of the National Science Board on April 24, 2026, via an email from the Presidential Personnel Office stating that their positions were terminated effective immediately on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.

Every member of the current 22-person National Science Board was let go, according to terminated board member Yolanda Gil, who works at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California.

U.S. science, Gil said in an email. The board was set to meet on May 5, 2026, and planned to release a report on how the US is ceding ground to China on scientific endeavors, according to multiple sources.

“I think this is one more indication of the sweeping changes that the administration has in mind for the NSF,” said Yolanda Gil in an email. ” The fired scientists on the National Science Board hail from academia and industry and specialize in areas including astronomy, math, chemistry, and aerospace engineering.

” The White House said in an emailed statement that the powers given to the National Science Board when it was created may need to be updated.

The White House added in the statement that the National Science Foundation’s work continues uninterrupted. The National Science Foundation directed a request for comment to the White House. The National Science Board was created in 1950 to advise the president and Congress on science and engineering policy.

The National Science Board approves major funding awards and guides the National Science Foundation’s future. The National Science Board is typically made up of 25 members appointed by the president who serve staggered six-year terms. The National Science Board was established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950.

National Science Board members are nominated for distinguished records in science, engineering, education, and public affairs from industry and universities and confirmed to staggered six-year terms. The National Science Foundation structure traces to Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report Science, the Endless Frontier.

The National Science Foundation distributes roughly $9 billion annually in federal research funding. The Trump administration tried to cut the National Science Foundation’s $9 billion budget by more than half last year. Congress maintained the National Science Foundation’s funding last year.

A budget cut of more than half is proposed again for the National Science Foundation for the coming year. Last year, the Trump administration terminated hundreds of active National Science Foundation research grants.

Last year, the Trump administration slowed the pace of new National Science Foundation grant awards. Last year, the Trump administration laid off or forced out a massive chunk of National Science Foundation staff. The National Science Foundation’s headquarters was relocated to a smaller building.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would move into the National Science Foundation’s former base in Alexandria, Virginia. The National Science Foundation director, a Trump appointee, resigned.

Jim O’Neill lacks scientific expertise. Separately, a Republican senator blocked Kevin Warsh’s nomination until the Justice Department stood down on its investigation of Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell. Tillis cleared the path for Warsh confirmation as new Federal Reserve chief.