Scathing Resignation Letter Urges Resistance to Trump Admin: ‘Answer Lies in Refusal’

Scholar Resigns in Protest of Trump Administration's Governance Shift

Alondra Nelson has resigned from two prominent federal advisory roles in protest of what she described as an alarming shift in governance under President Donald Trump. In an op-ed published in Time Magazine Tuesday, Nelson announced her departure from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. The White House / Wikimedia

Nelson Cites 'Increasing Barriers to the Exercise of Honest Counsel'

Nelson, who holds the Harold F. Linder Professorship at the Institute for Advanced Study, explained her decision to resign: “I have encountered increasing barriers to the exercise of honest counsel,” Nelson wrote. Staff photographer / Wikimedia

Nelson Warns of ‘Institutional Regression’

“These repeated obstacles of procedural circumvention, particularly insidious to those of us who have long advocated for more democratic and inclusive knowledge systems, represent not just personal frustration, but institutional regression," Nelson continued. Amy Newman-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nelson Raises Concerns Over Handling of NSF Director’s Resignation

Nelson criticized recent developments at the National Science Foundation, particularly the handling of NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan’s resignation in April 2025, which she said was announced “without the participation or notice of all members of the Board.” National Science Foundation / Photo by Stephen Voss / Wikimedia

Nelson Notes Shift in Grant Approval Authority

She also pointed to a concerning shift in grant approval power, allegedly now resting with DOGE—a Trump-affiliated oversight entity. “DOGE had by fiat the authority to give thumbs up or down to grant applications,” Nelson wrote. myCountrAI on X, via AI image generation / Wikimedia

Nelson Questions Conduct of DOGE Consultant in Grant Discussions

She expressed particular concern over a DOGE consultant, Zachary Terrell, who she said “showed more interest in his water bottle and his cuticles” during critical meetings and blocked the release of already-approved grants. Department of Government Efficiency (USA) / Wikimedia

Librarian of Congress Fired

Last week, the White House dismissed Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress, citing her support for diversity and inclusion efforts and for allowing children access to “inappropriate books”—a charge Nelson called “false and alarming.” Library of Congress Life / Wikimedia

Nelson Calls Withdrawal an Ethical Imperative

Nelson framed her exit as a moral stance: “What then, is the responsible course of action? For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.” Dan Komoda / The White House / Wikimedia

Nelson Describes Resignation as an Act of Principle, Not Withdrawal

In explaining the motivation behind her resignation, Nelson framed the decision as an act of conviction: “My resignation represents such a refusal, not a surrender of responsibility but an assertion of it.” Sage Ross / Wikimedia