The Trump administration has terminated or suspended more than 100 federal advisory committees, including several that advised NASA on scientific fields. The changes matter because these panels bring outside experts and public scrutiny into agency decision-making; former members say their removal reduces accountability to researchers, stakeholders and the public.

At NASA, advisory committees covering astrophysics, biological and physical sciences, Earth science, heliophysics and planetary science were ended under Executive Order 14217. NASA still retains the NASA Advisory Council and Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, but critics argue that fewer specialist committees mean less independent input on programmes, priorities and spending.