National Science Foundation Mass Firings Go Beyond Trump's Orders, Sparking Outrage

image via New Scientist

February 20, 2025, 4:00 PM

• •The National Science Foundation fired about 10 percent of its staff at the end of Tuesday, removing 168 people who included most of the agency's probationary employees and all of its experts.
• •The agency didn't have to fire its experts but decided to in the interest of fairness, a top NSF official told staffers in an emotionally charged hybrid meeting Tuesday morning at its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters.
• •NSF was created by Congress in 1950 to ensure U.S. leadership in science and engineering. The agency now provides roughly a quarter of federal support to America's colleges and universities for basic research.

The National Science Foundation fired about 10 percent of its staff at the end of Tuesday, removing 168 people who included most of the agency's probationary employees and all of its experts. The agency didn't have to fire its experts but decided to in the interest of fairness, a top NSF official told staffers in an emotionally charged hybrid meeting Tuesday morning at its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters.

Read original article