The Trump administration has terminated all 22 members of the National Science Board, effective immediately, through a brief email. The board serves as an independent advisory body to the President and Congress on science and engineering issues, and helps steer the National Science Foundation.
This action represents a significant blow to the NSF and American scientific progress. Members were informed of their dismissal with a two-sentence message on behalf of President Donald J. Trump. Keivan Stassun, a physics professor and one of the terminated members, described the move as a "wholesale evisceration of American leadership in science and technology globally."
NSB members are appointed by the president for six-year terms. The board was scheduled to meet soon to release a report on the US ceding ground to China in scientific endeavors. The National Science Foundation and the board were established by President Truman in 1950 to ensure continued US leadership in scientific matters.