National Science Foundation Fires 168 Workers as Federal Purge Continues
1 min read
Summary
The Trump administration has directed federal agencies to dismiss most employees who lack permanent status, which entails civil service protections.
On Tuesday, the National Science Foundation (NSF) let go of approximately 170 employees in a single Zoom call, Surprisingly, this included workers who had previously completed their one-year probationary period and were considered permanent staff.
Even workers who were close to completing a two-year probationary period were not exempt from the purge, which NSF management hinted would not be the last.
Numerous program managers and experts on funding were among those fired, leaving questions as to how the organisation will continue to evaluate grant applications.
They will be replaced by an automated system, as one employee said: “With fewer program officers to steward the evaluation process, the overwhelming concern is that it will become harder to identify and support the transformative but unconventional projects that could otherwise be game changers in terms of advancing scientific progress in the USA.
