A Purge at the NSF: White House Fires Entire Science Board

WASHINGTON — In a sweeping move that has stunned the scientific community, the Trump administration has dismissed all 22 members of the National Science Board, the independent body that oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF). The mass firing is being framed by the White House as a necessary step to "realign federal research with national priorities," but critics are calling it a politicization of objective science.

The dismissed members, many of whom are world-renowned researchers and university presidents, were notified of their termination via a brief memo on Tuesday morning. The White House indicated it would move quickly to appoint a new board that would focus on "applied technology and national security" rather than purely theoretical research.

This isn't just a personnel change; it's a fundamental shift in how the United States funds innovation. By moving the NSF under closer executive control, the administration is signaling that the future of American science will be tied directly to the industrial and military goals of the state.