Federal support for scientific study was already facing chaos.
Federal support for scientific study was already facing chaos.
Various reports indicate that the Trump administration has removed the entire National Science Board (NSB). The NSB provides guidance to the president and Congress regarding the National Science Foundation (NSF), which has been funding research at historically low rates and has experienced notable delays in distributing that funding. The NSF has been crucial in advancing technologies used in MRIs, smartphones, and even assisted Duolingo in its inception.
In a statement, Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, remarked:
“This is the latest foolish action by a president who continues to damage science and American innovation. The NSB remains politically neutral. It provides the president with counsel about the future of NSF. It is sadly unsurprising that a president who has targeted NSF from the outset would aim to dismantle the board that directs the Foundation. Will the president populate the NSB with loyalists who won’t challenge him while he cedes our scientific leadership to our rivals? A real clownish move.”
