CLIMATEWIRE | The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently implemented workforce reductions that exceeded the levels mandated by the Trump administration, sparking significant outcry within the organization.
At the closure of business on Tuesday, NSF terminated approximately 10% of its workforce, amounting to 168 individuals. This group predominantly consisted of the agency’s probationary staff and included all of its specialized experts — contract employees with deep knowledge in specific scientific areas.
Despite not being required to dismiss these expert employees, the decision was made to promote fairness, as explained by a senior NSF official during a tense and emotional meeting held at the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
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According to Micah Cheatham, NSF’s chief management officer, the decision to let go of the experts was discretionary. “If we’re to dismiss probationary staff, we must also consider at-will employees,” he stated during the emotionally charged meeting, a transcript of which was obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Cheatham also noted that this was just the beginning of several planned workforce reductions.
Established by Congress in 1950, the NSF plays a crucial role in ensuring the United States maintains its leadership in science and engineering. It provides approximately a quarter of all federal support for basic research at American colleges and universities.
Recent reports by E&E News indicated that the NSF anticipates cutting up to half of its workforce of 1,500. This has raised alarms among scientists and Democratic lawmakers who worry that such significant reductions could severely disrupt the national research and innovation systems, potentially leading to catastrophic effects on the U.S. economy and its citizens.
This wave of dismissals at a top scientific funding agency coincides with efforts by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency established by President Trump, to reduce federal expenditures. Musk’s focus has initially been on foreign aid and diversity initiatives, but the impact is being felt across nearly all government agencies.
A small number of probationary employees, whose roles were deemed essential, were spared from the layoffs. “We evaluated who was mission-critical, and the numbers were unexpectedly high,” Cheatham commented.
Dismissed staff members were instructed to cease their duties by 1 p.m. Tuesday, at which point they would lose access to the agency’s computer networks. They were given until the end of the day to vacate their workspaces.
To avoid the negative implications of being fired, employees were given the option to resign, albeit forfeiting their eligibility for unemployment benefits.
The announcement led to widespread dismay, confusion, and anger, sparking a flood of critical all-staff emails from affected employees. During the meeting, one irate staffer accused NSF leadership of using them as “trophies” for the Office of Personnel Management. “You’ve betrayed the trust of dedicated employees who left other careers based on the promises of this agency. You need to own up to that,” the employee asserted.
An NSF official extended an apology to those being let go, acknowledging that they were merely “following orders” from the Trump administration.
Neither the White House nor the Office of Personnel Management responded to inquiries for comments.
NSF spokesperson Mike England defended the firings as necessary to comply with the president’s executive orders. He expressed gratitude to the terminated employees for their contributions to NSF and its mission.
One of the dismissed employees highlighted the potential chaos resulting from their abrupt departure, noting their involvement with projects worth millions of dollars and an upcoming grant review panel.
Post-meeting, staff-wide emails reviewed by E&E News contained harsh criticisms of NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and other senior leaders, with calls for their resignation due to perceived incompetence and cowardice.
In a statement, Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, including Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan and Zoe Lofgren of California, condemned the NSF leadership for failing to protect their staff and urged Dr. Panchanathan to reverse the dismissals.
Reporter Chelsea Harvey contributed to this report.
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