Trump administration fires all members of US’ National Science Board

Democrats blast latest move by the administration to radically restructure the federal government.United States President Donald Trump’s administration has fired all 22 members of the board that sets the policies of the government-funded national science agency, according to an ex-board member and lawmakers.The dismissals at the National Science Board (NSB), the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), mark the Trump administration’s latest move to radically restructure the government following the gutting of multiple agencies, including the Department of Education and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Mexico’s Jalisco drug cartel commander ‘El Jardinero’ found hiding in ditchlist 2 of 4Mexican military captures cartel commander Audias Floreslist 3 of 4Gunmen kill at least 29 in Nigeria’s northeast Adamawa Statelist 4 of 4Oil prices rise despite Iran’s proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuzend of listRoger Beachy, who was reappointed to a second six-year term on the science board by Trump in 2020, said he and his colleagues were not given a reason for their dismissal.“The termination email was brief and to the point, with a ‘thank you for your service,'” Beachy, an emeritus biology professor at Washington University in St Louis, told Al Jazeera on Monday.Beachy said he expected the Trump administration to appoint a new board but expressed concern about the nature of the research and education that would be supported by the agency in the future.“The nature of the board – partisan or independent? – and how it interacts with the agency is of critical importance to the continuing success of the NSF,” Beachy said.Democratic lawmakers, who had earlier reported hearing of the dismissals from unspecified sources, blasted the Trump administration’s action.“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” Zoe Lofgren, the most senior member of the US House of Representatives’ science committee, said in a statement.