Democrats are slamming the administration’s latest move to overhaul the federal government.
Published April 28, 2026
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has fired all 22 members of the government-funded national science agency’s policy-setting board of governors, according to former directors and lawmakers.
The dismissal of the National Science Board (NSB), the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), marks the latest move by the Trump administration to overhaul the government, following the dismantling of multiple agencies, including the Department of Education and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Roger Beachy, who was reappointed by President Trump in 2020 to a second six-year term on the science board, said he and his colleagues were given no reason for their removal.
Beachy, professor emeritus of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, told Al Jazeera on Monday: “The termination email was short and to the point, saying, ‘Thank you for your hard work.'”
Beachy said he expects the Trump administration to appoint a new board, but expressed concerns about the nature of research and education the agency will support in the future.
“The nature of the board — partisan or independent — and how it interacts with the agency are critical to NSF’s continued success,” Beachy said.
Democratic lawmakers earlier reported hearing about the firing from unspecified sources and condemned the Trump administration’s actions.
“This is the latest foolish move by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” Zoe Lofgren, the ranking member of the House Science Committee, said in a statement.
“Will the president cede scientific leadership to his opponent and fill the NSB with MAGA supporters who won’t defy him?” Lofgren called the firings “a real clown move.”
The White House and NSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours.
President Trump has not yet publicly confirmed or commented on the firings, but his administration previously targeted NSF for deep cuts instituted by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Under last year’s cost-cutting measures, officials eliminated or suspended more than 1,600 NSF grants worth nearly $1 billion.
Founded in 1950 as an independent federal agency, NSF is one of the world’s largest private funders of science, spending more than $8 billion on scientific research and education in 2025.
Beachy said it was too early to predict how the layoffs would affect science funding in the long term.
“It’s important to note that support for the NSF has historically been bipartisan, both legally and financially,” he said.
“With continued support like this, we can feel even more optimistic about its future and look forward to the continued excellence of America’s scientific enterprise.”
