The Trump administration recently made significant cuts at the National Science Foundation (NSF), reducing its workforce by over 10%. This decision adds to the broader trend of layoffs that started last week, primarily affecting federal employees on probation.
According to Michael England, a spokesperson for the NSF, 168 employees were let go. Before the layoffs, the NSF had around 1,450 career staff members. However, a current employee, who chose to remain anonymous, said that the number of layoffs included many experienced specialists, not just probationary workers.
The administration’s directive ordered agencies to terminate most of the estimated 200,000 workers on probation. This led to widespread layoffs across various departments, with some letting go of over a thousand employees. The Internal Revenue Service is also preparing to cut thousands more this week.
Recent layoffs have particularly impacted scientists and public health workers. For instance, about 1,200 employees from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a key biomedical research agency, have already been dismissed. NSF employees had been warned earlier about possible workforce reductions of 25% to 50%.
Workers on probation lack many protections that permanent staff enjoy. Typically, probation lasts for a year but can be extended for certain roles.
The NSF and NIH are vital for public research funding in the U.S. The NSF primarily supports non-medical research, exploring areas like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, astronomy, and advanced materials in electronics.
The NSF has funded numerous groundbreaking developments, leading to innovations that have changed society, including the internet, smartphones, MRI scans, LASIK surgery, 3D printing, and kidney transplants.
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United States Politics and Government,Layoffs and Job Reductions,Research,Medicine and Health,Government Employees,National Science Foundation,National Institutes of Health,Trump, Donald J
