Trump’s mass firing just dealt another blow to American science
Trump’s mass firing just dealt another blow to American science
特朗普的大规模解雇再次重创美国科学界
This past week delivered another gut punch for science in the US. This time, the target was the National Science Foundation—a federal agency that funds major research projects to the tune of around $9 billion. The foundation’s efforts were overseen by a board of 22 prominent scientists. On Friday last week, they were all fired. 过去这一周，美国科学界再次遭受重创。这一次，目标是国家科学基金会（NSF）——这是一个为重大研究项目提供约 90 亿美元资金的联邦机构。该基金会的工作由一个由 22 位杰出科学家组成的委员会监督。上周五，他们全部被解雇。
The NSF has been without a director since April 2025, when former director Sethuraman Panchanathan stepped down in the wake of DOGE-led funding cuts and mass firings. Trump’s nominee for the role is Jim O’Neill, an investor and longevity enthusiast who does not have a science background. It’s hard to predict exactly how things will shake out for science. But it’s not looking great. 自 2025 年 4 月前任局长 Sethuraman Panchanathan 在“政府效率部”（DOGE）主导的削减预算和大规模裁员风波中辞职以来，NSF 一直处于局长空缺状态。特朗普提名的继任者是吉姆·奥尼尔（Jim O’Neill），他是一位投资者和长寿研究爱好者，但没有科学背景。目前很难预测科学界的未来走向，但前景不容乐观。
The NSF was established in 1950 to “promote the progress of science,” among other goals. It has served as a major source of support for research and education since then. In 2024, the agency spent $9.39 billion—a substantial figure but only 0.1% of all federal spending. Key decisions about how that money is spent have been made by the National Science Board. NSF 成立于 1950 年，其目标之一是“促进科学进步”。自那时起，它一直是研究和教育的主要支持来源。2024 年，该机构支出 93.9 亿美元——这虽然是一笔巨款，但仅占联邦总支出的 0.1%。关于这笔钱如何使用的关键决策一直由国家科学委员会（National Science Board）做出。
Each of the scientists who made up the board until last week was appointed by a US president to serve, at least initially, a six-year term. Those members were responsible for establishing NSF policies, authorizing major expenditures and providing oversight, says Keivan Stassun, a physicist and astronomer at Vanderbilt University who was appointed to the board in late 2022. 直到上周，委员会中的每一位科学家都是由美国总统任命的，任期至少为六年。范德比尔特大学的物理学家兼天文学家凯万·斯塔森（Keivan Stassun）于 2022 年底被任命为委员会成员，他表示，这些成员负责制定 NSF 的政策、批准重大支出并提供监督。
A few years ago, the board was responsible for establishing a new “directorate” within the agency to channel funding to “technology, innovations and partnerships,” for example. The board also authorized funding for the US Extremely Large Telescope Program. “It’s a relatively small group with a tremendous amount of responsibility and authority,” says Stassun. He viewed his appointment as “a tremendous honor.” 几年前，该委员会负责在机构内设立一个新的“理事会”，旨在为“技术、创新和伙伴关系”提供资金。委员会还批准了美国极大望远镜计划（Extremely Large Telescope Program）的资金。斯塔森说：“这是一个相对较小的群体，却肩负着巨大的责任和权力。”他将自己的任命视为“巨大的荣誉”。
Then, last Friday, the email landed in his inbox. “It said: On behalf of President Trump, this letter is to notify you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” says Stassun. “It was deeply disappointing.” 然而上周五，一封邮件发到了他的收件箱里。斯塔森说：“邮件写道：‘代表特朗普总统，特此通知您，您作为国家科学委员会成员的职务即刻终止。感谢您的服务。’这令人深感失望。”
Still, Stassun wasn’t surprised, given the administration’s actions across federal science agencies over the past year. Since Donald Trump took office at the start of 2025, the NSF—along with many other federal agencies—has frozen, unfrozen, and terminated grants. “The board was not involved in any of those [terminations],” says Stassun. Members had no say in the firing of agency staff either, he says. Staff numbers are currently down 40%, he adds. 尽管如此，考虑到过去一年政府对各联邦科学机构采取的行动，斯塔森并不感到惊讶。自 2025 年初唐纳德·特朗普上任以来，NSF 和许多其他联邦机构一样，经历了拨款的冻结、解冻和终止。斯塔森说：“委员会没有参与任何此类（终止拨款的）决定。”他补充说，成员们对解雇机构员工也没有发言权，目前员工人数已减少了 40%。
In a 2026 budget request, the Trump administration sought to cut the NSF’s budget by around 57%. Last summer, NSF staffers wrote a letter of dissent arguing that such substantial cuts would “cripple American science.” The proposed cuts would have hit biological sciences, engineering, and STEM education particularly hard. Those cuts were rejected by Congress earlier this year. 在 2026 年的预算申请中，特朗普政府试图将 NSF 的预算削减约 57%。去年夏天，NSF 工作人员写了一封异议信，认为如此大幅度的削减将“重创美国科学”。拟议的削减将对生物科学、工程学和 STEM 教育造成特别严重的打击。这些削减计划已于今年早些时候被国会否决。
But grant terminations and firings are essentially allowing them to take effect regardless, says Stassun. “The funds that the White House has been dispersing to the agency … have been far less than what Congress intended,” he says. Many ambitious research projects are grinding to a halt as a result. “The Extremely Large Telescope Program appears to be dead in the water for now,” says Stassun. And the NSF arm dedicated to science education “has effectively zeroed out,” he says. 但斯塔森表示，拨款终止和裁员实际上让这些削减计划变相生效了。他说：“白宫拨给该机构的资金……远低于国会的预期。”结果，许多雄心勃勃的研究项目被迫停滞。斯塔森说：“极大望远镜计划目前看来已经搁浅了。”他还表示，NSF 负责科学教育的部门“实际上已经归零了”。
But not all of them. While the administration’s 2027 budget request states that NSF will “close out” its directorate for social, behavioral, and economic sciences, it describes AI and quantum information science as key “frontier initiatives.” Biotechnology is described as a “focal point.” 但并非所有项目都如此。虽然政府的 2027 年预算申请指出，NSF 将“关闭”其社会、行为和经济科学理事会，但它将人工智能和量子信息科学描述为关键的“前沿倡议”。生物技术则被描述为“重点”。
When asked for comment, the NSF directed MIT Technology Review to the White House press office. The White House did not respond directly to questions about the firing of NSB members and said in a statement, “The National Science Foundation’s work continues uninterrupted.” 当被要求置评时，NSF 将《麻省理工科技评论》转介给了白宫新闻办公室。白宫没有直接回应关于解雇国家科学委员会成员的问题，并在声明中表示：“国家科学基金会的工作仍在继续，未受影响。”
Jim O’Neill, Trump’s current candidate for the position of NSF director, is certainly interested in biotechnology. Specifically, when I spoke to O’Neill in February, he told me that he supposes he is a Vitalist—a hardcore supporter of efforts to extend human longevity who believes that death is wrong. O’Neill was deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until a leadership shakeup a couple of months ago. 特朗普目前提名的 NSF 局长人选吉姆·奥尼尔确实对生物技术很感兴趣。具体来说，当我在二月份与奥尼尔交谈时，他告诉我他认为自己是一个“生命力论者”（Vitalist）——即人类延长寿命努力的坚定支持者，认为死亡是错误的。在几个月前的一次领导层改组之前，奥尼尔曾担任卫生与公众服务部副部长和疾病控制与预防中心代理主任。
But he isn’t a scientist. And that has some scientists worried. He has yet to be confirmed by the Senate for the role. In the meantime, the administration’s efforts are having a real impact on research. “We [NSB members] tried to stand for a continued investment in science, engineering, and technology, and in science education broadly,” says Stassun. “The administration will now be able to operate the agency the way that [it wants to, with] no governance body in the way.” 但他不是科学家，这让一些科学家感到担忧。他尚未获得参议院的任命确认。与此同时，政府的举措正在对研究产生实际影响。斯塔森说：“我们（委员会成员）努力坚持对科学、工程、技术以及广泛的科学教育进行持续投资。现在，政府将能够按照自己的意愿运作该机构，而没有任何治理机构的阻碍。”