Science
Trump administration terminates over 100 federal science advisory committees
Researchers and advocacy groups warn the dissolution of volunteer advisory boards cuts off critical expertise, while the administration cites redundancy.
The short version
- The second Trump administration has terminated more than 100 science-focused federal advisory committees, according to external analyses.
- Dissolved bodies include volunteer panels advising on long COVID, healthcare infection controls, NASA space science, and fisheries.
- Advocates and researchers argue the moves strip federal agencies of independent, real-world perspective and accountability.
- White House officials defended the cuts, stating the dissolved committees were redundant, unnecessary, or ineffective.
Key facts
- A news analysis published in Nature found that more than 100 science-focused federal advisory committees have been dissolved under the second Trump administration.[NPR]
- Advocacy group Public Citizen reported that over 25 percent of healthcare-related federal advisory committees were shut down by March 2025.[NPR]
- The Union of Concerned Scientists tracked 150 advisory committee terminations across federal science agencies during 2025.[NPR]
- Terminated panels included those focused on long COVID research, hospital infection control, fisheries management, and NASA astrophysics missions.[NPR]
- White House officials stated that the dissolved panels were determined to be redundant, unnecessary, or ineffective.[NPR]
- In response to the closure of its Astrophysics Advisory Committee, NASA stated it was restructuring by consolidating several committees into one while remaining committed to community engagement.[NPR]
What remains uncertain
- The long-term effects of losing external advisory panels on federal decision-making, clinical guidance, and scientific policy implementation remain unquantified.[NPR]