Trump fires independent board overseeing National Science Foundation – PBS

Trump fires independent board overseeing National Science Foundation  PBS

Members of the National Science Board received an email on Friday sent from the Presidential Personnel Office stating that their position was terminated. NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has fired members of an independent board that oversees the National Science Foundation. Members of the National Science Board received an email on Friday sent from the Presidential Personnel Office "on behalf of President Donald J. Trump" stating that their position was "terminated, effective immediately." "I wasn't entirely surprised, to be honest," said dismissed board member Keivan Stassun in an email. Stassun, who works at Vanderbilt University, added that the decision was "enormously disappointing." The National Science Board was created in 1950 to advise the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approve major funding awards and guide NSF's future.

It's typically made up of 25 members appointed by the president who serve staggered, six-year terms. The fired scientists hail from academia and industry and specialize in areas including astronomy, math, chemistry and aerospace engineering. Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said in a statement the move was "a dangerous attack on the institutions and expertise that drive American innovation and discovery." WATCH: OMB Director Vought testifies before Senate panel on Trump's 2027 budget request The Trump administration tried to cut