Trump Admin Fires All National Science Board Members

The Trump administration terminated all 22 members of the National Science Board on Friday.

For Context: The Board was established by an act of Congress in 1950 to dictate policy for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and advise Congress and the White House on science-related matters. In his recent budget request for 2027, President Trump proposed cutting the NSF's funding by 55 percent. He requested a similar reduction in 2026, but Congress did not institute the change.

Key Quotes: Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said, "The NSB is apolitical. It advises the president on the future of NSF. It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the foundation." A White House official told The Epoch Times (Lean Right) that a 2021 Supreme Court decision "raised constitutional questions about whether non-Senate confirmed appointees can exercise the authorities that Congress gave the National Science Board."

How The Media Covered It: The news was first reported by The Washington Post (Lean Left) on April 25, though many major mainstream outlets did not cover it until days later. The story was widely covered by outlets from the center and left. As of early on April 28, from the right, AllSides only found coverage from The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times said it independently confirmed the development on April 27. Several major outlets from the left, including The Post, The New York Times (Lean Left), Politico (Lean Left), and Associated Press (Left), described the board as "independent." The only outlet from the center or right AllSides found to describe it this way was UPI (Center).

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.