The National Science Board was not a ceremonial body. It held authority over the National Science Foundation's research agenda and served as the formal advisory channel to both the president and Congress on science and engineering priorities. Its members served staggered terms specifically to insulate it from single-administration control — a structural safeguard now discarded. The administration's mass dismissal breaks decades of precedent for independent scientific terms with no replacement announced and no transition mechanism. The entity that previously provided independent counsel on AI standards has been removed entirely, and…