The abrupt removal of highly qualified experts who typically serve across Presidential administrations jeopardizes the position of the U.S. as a leader in scientific and technological development. For decades, the National Science Board has overseen the National Science Foundation and guided Congress and the Administration on policies to support a vibrant American scientific enterprise.
Dismissing all 22 members of the NSB will only continue the destabilization of American fundamental research and scientific workforce development. This comes at a time where the NSF, as an independent federal agency that ensures the U.S. stays at the forefront of science and fosters the next generation of scientists, has been without a permanent director for more than a year.
This wholesale removal of scientific leadership combined with an absence of clear vision for science and technology undermines our ability as a nation to foster scientific progress and ensure that the benefits of those discoveries can reach the American people.
