The Trump administration has moved to fire members of the National Science Board, which governs the National Science Foundation. The fired members say the agency’s independence is threatened.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The Trump administration continues to attack federal science agencies. A few days ago he fired members of a board charged with overseeing and advising the National Science Foundation. That’s a major funder of research. NPR’s Katia Riddle reports on what that means for the agency going forward.
KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: On Friday, 22 people, mostly scientists and engineers, each received a terse email written on behalf of President Donald J. Trump. His position as a member of the National Science Board was terminated, quote, “effective immediately.”
KEIVAN STASSUN: You know, it was a big disappointment. I wouldn’t say it was a big surprise.
Riddle: Keivan Stassun was one of the recipients of this email. He is a professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He has been on the board since 2023.
STASSUN: Having watched what’s been happening at other agencies, it seemed like just a matter of time.
Riddle: The Trump administration ended or froze billions of dollars in research grants and reduced the federal scientific workforce.
ZOE LOFGREN: Once again, I am disappointed in the president and his attack on this country’s scientific enterprise.
Riddle: Rep. Zoe Lofgren is the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. His Republican counterpart, Brian Babin, defended Trump’s decision, saying in a statement that, quote, “every president expects his advisers to serve in a manner consistent with executive and legislative priorities.” Lofgren notes that since this board was established in 1950, it has had 14 presidents.
LOFGREN: And suddenly there’s a problem? I don’t buy it.
Riddle: The board was intended to guide the nation in making decisions about what type of science to pursue. Patrick McCray is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Study the history of science policy.
PATRICK MCCRAY: I mean, I think the idea was to have a body of people who weren’t directly connected to the executive branch.
Riddle: Working autonomously over the past few decades, NSF helped build the first Internet, fueled the rise of artificial intelligence, and supported the observatory that first detected gravitational waves.
MCCRAY: Experience and the ability to decide which areas of research and development are more important to fund than others, you know, are crucial here.
Riddle: The Trump administration responded to a request for comment with an email statement, writing that the agency’s work would continue, quote, “uninterrupted.” Historian Patrick McCray says dismantling the National Science Board is not in the best interest of the nation or Trump. The administration has repeatedly said it is committed to advances in fields such as artificial intelligence or quantum computing, but…
MCCRAY: It’s hard for me to understand how continually attacking organizations like the National Science Foundation furthers those goals.
Riddle: A scientific board may not seem glamorous, says Patrick McCray, but some of our groundbreaking scientific achievements (AI, the Internet, microchips) may never have happened without it. Katia Riddle, NPR News.
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