Employees at the US National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds basic research, have followed the example of workers at two sister science agencies by releasing a letter of dissent warning about a series of ‘politically motivated and legally questionable actions’ by the Trump administration that ‘threaten the integrity of the NSF’. News of the declaration was leaked in mid-July but was almost immediately placed on ‘indefinite hold’ before being released at a 22 July press conference convened by Democrats on the House science, space and technology committee.
The grievances laid out by the NSF workers, which they describe as collectively amounting to ‘the systemic dismantling of a world-renowned scientific agency’, include the Trump administration’s proposed budget cut of 56% for the NSF in financial year 2026. If enacted, they say it would ‘undermine US leadership in science’ and ‘eliminate funding for over 250,000 researchers and students’. When it comes to chemistry, the president’s budget request is projected to cut funding for the field by about 75% from the NSF’s maths and physical sciences programme.
The dissent letter, which was signed by nearly 150 members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union that represents NSF researchers, scientists and administrative employees, also criticises the administration for terminating more than 1600 NSF grants without proper explanation between April and May 2025. One-third of the signatories signed anonymously, and all the remaining names but one were redacted.
They go on to accuse the administration of putting in place a ‘covert and ideologically driven’ secondary research review process overseen by unqualified political appointees, which they suggest is interfering with the agency’s peer review system.
Further, the NSF employees express concern about the administration withholding $2.2 billion (£1.62 billion) from the agency, and they condemn the terminations and threatened mass ‘reductions in force’ related to more than 10% of the agency’s workforce being laid off in February. The signatories argue that many of these dismissals lacked due process or legal justification. A federal court ordered the reinstatement of some employees but many still lost their jobs.
The only person whose name was on the NSF dissent declaration was Jesus Soriano, who is the president of the local AFGE chapter. ‘What’s happening at NSF is unlike anything we’ve faced before,’ Soriano stated at the press conference on Capitol Hill. ‘Our members – scientists, programme officers and staff – have been targeted for doing their jobs with integrity.’ Despite facing ‘retaliation, mass terminations and the illegal withholding of billions in research funding’, he said they have stood up for science and each other, rather than backing down.
The NSF worker dissent letter follows similar declarations released by employees at the National Institutes of Health on 9 June, followed a few weeks later by current and former staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In response to the latter, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin reportedly placed 139 signatories of the document on administrative leave, pending an investigation. Earlier this week, according to media reports, the agency extended the administrative leave of 160 employees as part of that investigation.
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