Committee Leaders Lofgren and Stevens Implore National Science Board to Stop Destruction at NSF
Washington, DC – Today, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Subcommittee on Research and Technology Ranking Member Haley Stevens (MI-11) sent a letter to the National Science Board (NSB) imploring them to do everything in their power to stop the ongoing destruction of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
“We write to you with great urgency to request you exercise your important role as a member of the National Science Board and do everything in your power to stop the ongoing destruction of the National Science Foundation (NSF)," the Members said in the letter. "Since January 20, 2025, NSF has made multiple decisions that indicate it is taking extreme measures to go above and beyond compliance with orders from the Trump Administration and from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This includes the freezing of grant funding for nearly a week, a post hoc review of active awards, and the firing of probationary employees and expert appointees that captured individuals who had not been targeted by DOGE. The decisions that were made are in direct conflict with NSF’s mission, and the reductions to its already-stretched-thin workforce will decimate the agency’s ability to support critical science. Agency plans for the next round of firings are due on March 13, 2025, and it is imperative that you speak out to ensure that NSF does not further damage itself and its reputation.”
The Ranking Members make very clear the proven efficiency of the National Science Foundation, and that chaotic and unnecessary firings at the agency will, without a doubt, keep it from fulfilling its mission. They note that the pointless firings of subject matter experts and program directors will grind NSF’s work to a halt:
“You know that NSF is an incredibly efficient agency that spends only 5% of its budget on operations and award management. To give just one example of the impact that has already occurred, based on documentation reviewed by the Committee, over three dozen program directors were fired. Without these subject matter experts to coordinate merit review panels and manage awards, the grantmaking process in these program directors’ portfolios will grind to a halt. To provide just one specific example, public reporting has already called into the question the entire future of the U.S. Antarctic Program, with significant scientific and geopolitical implications. We still do not know the extent of the damage done by the February 18th firings; further cuts to the workforce will be disastrous.”
The letter can be found here.
Science Committee Democrats have launched a survey for individuals fired by the Trump Administration to share their story.
Learn more here: democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings
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