Overview
- The White House fired all 22 members of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, in Friday emails that it linked to the Supreme Court’s Arthrex ruling.
- Ousted members said they were about to approve the 2026 Science and Engineering Indicators, a report showing a growing U.S.–China research funding gap.
- Leading societies, including the AAAS and the American Chemical Society, condemned the purge and warned it threatens U.S. scientific leadership and basic research training.
- The administration says NSF work continues, though dismissed members cite frozen and canceled grants and a staff drop of about 40% that is slowing research.
- Trump’s nominee to lead the NSF, investor Jim O’Neill, still awaits Senate confirmation as legal and congressional challenges to the board’s removal are widely expected.