On 24 April 2026, the administration of President Donald Trump terminated all 22 members of the National Science Board (NSB) in the United States. The NSB is the policy-making and advisory body for the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that funds scientific research and education.
National Science Board
The National Science Board was created to advise the NSF on policy matters related to science and engineering. The board has 24 members in total, including the NSF Director and 23 presidentially appointed members under the National Science Foundation Act framework.
National Science Foundation
The NSF is an independent federal agency of the United States government. It finances basic research and science education across disciplines such as mathematics, engineering, computer science, and the natural sciences. In 2025, the NSF spent more than $8 billion on scientific research and education. The NSF Director post had been vacant for over one year at the time of the dismissals.
Dismissal Process
Board members received an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office stating that their positions were terminated with immediate effect. A White House official later cited constitutional questions as the reason for the dismissals.
Related Institutional Context
The NSB is one of the principal federal science advisory bodies in the United States. The NSF supports research grants, graduate education, and long-term scientific capacity in universities and laboratories. The firings affected the governance structure of the NSF, which had no board and no director after the action. The National Science Board is based in the United States and is linked to federal science policy.
Last Modified: April 29, 2026