National Science Foundation Fires 168 Workers as Federal Purge Continues

The National Science Foundation fired nearly 170 workers in a Zoom call on Tuesday morning as part of the Trump administration’s agenda to reduce the federal workforce. The terminated workers, who were told their employment would end at 5 pm EST today, included those still under probation, but also workers who had already completed the requisite one-year probationary period to become permanent workers and at-will workers who were considered permanent employees.

Earlier this month, however, these permanent workers were suddenly told by NSF that their one-year probationary period should have been two years and they were no longer safe from being terminated.

The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to fire nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained permanent status, thereby receiving civil service protections. But NSF workers who believed they were safe suddenly found themselves without jobs today.

The National Science Foundation is an independent agency within the federal government that provides grants to universities and other bodies in support of scientific and engineering research. The foundation’s grants account for about a quarter of all federal support to academic institutions for research. NSF’s grants were paused in late January due to a funding freeze, but the agency resumed issuing grants following a court order early this month.

Many of the people terminated on Tuesday work as program managers and experts who make decisions about funding by aligning research proposals with the right program and matching those proposals to the most qualified reviewers to assess them and make recommendations.

https://www.wired.com/story/national-science-foundation-february-2025-firings/