NSF terminates 170 probationary employees, experts amid mass federal firings
The National Science Foundation fired 170 probationary employees and experts Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce, the agency confirmed.
In a written statement, NSF spokesman Mike England pointed to President Donald Trump’s executive order last week that included plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce as part of the work of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“To ensure compliance with this E.O. the National Science Foundation has released 168 employees from Federal service effective today,” England said Tuesday. “We thank these employees for their service to NSF and their contributions to advance the agency mission.”
In an updated statement Wednesday, the number of employees terminated rose to 170. England said 86 of those staff members were probationary and 84 were classified as experts, correcting a previous statement that all of the workers had been probationary. Expert appointments last for one year or less and their work schedules are normally intermittent, he said.
NSF is an independent agency focused on science and engineering research and headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Much of that work is accomplished by making grants to U.S. colleges and universities, according to its website. Its workforce includes roughly 1,500 career employees, 450 contract employees, and 200 rotating scientists and engineers.
The news comes after reports of terminations across the federal government. While England didn’t provide a reason for the terminations, an NSF termination letter viewed by FedScoop indicates that the stated reason for some of the firings at the agency is the same “performance” rationale that other agencies — such as the Office of Personnel Management — have given employees.
But union leaders and workers decry those claims from agencies. Last week, Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the performance claims lacked evidence and called the terminations an abuse of the probationary period. He said the union — which represents federal workers — would fight those terminations.
Employees at NSF were notified of the terminations during a hybrid in-person and Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, two sources who were among those fired told FedScoop. They were granted anonymity to speak more freely about the situation.
The invitation for the meeting was titled “Meeting with NSF Probationary Employees and Experts” and was sent to 168 NSF email accounts at around 9 a.m., according to a copy of the invite viewed by FedScoop.
During that meeting, employees were informed of their terminations and told that NSF was making the decision at the instruction of the Office of Personnel Management, according to both sources. The sources described the call as tense, with many employees seeking answers from leaders.
The agency initially told employees to expect termination letters around 11 a.m. and their access to email would be cut off at 1 p.m., but that timeline was delayed. Some people started to get their termination letters around 2:30 p.m. and others around 3 p.m., the sources said.
A termination letter sent to one of those NSF employees included identical language from letters sent to employees at OPM about performance. The letter told the employee: “based on your performance … you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.”
And also similarly to OPM workers, the NSF source told FedScoop they had received high marks on performance reviews.
The other former NSF employee, who was an at-will expert, said at-will employees were not given cause for their termination because the agency doesn’t have to provide one.
The story was updated on Feb. 19 to add additional information from NSF sources and to correct a previous statement from NSF that all of the fired workers were probationary.
