Since coming back to the White House, NASA has laid off over 20% of its staff as part of President Trump’s strategy to cut federal expenditures.
About 4,000 employees are requesting to leave the agency through a delayed resignation initiative. The deadline for this program was midnight last Friday.
In the first wave, around 870 staff opted for leave, while about 3,000 did so in the second round. As a result, NASA’s workforce has shrunk from 18,000 to roughly 14,000, as reported by Hill’s sister network, News Nation.
This reduction also includes about 500 positions lost due to regular attrition, according to the agency.
A NASA spokesperson shared that the budget proposal from the White House, which was released in May, will cut NASA’s total budget by 24%, decreasing it from $24 billion to $18 billion.
Earlier this month, more than 360 NASA employees sent letters to higher-ups, urging against such drastic cuts, stressing it could lead to “disastrous” outcomes.
“We have to speak out when our leadership puts political gains ahead of human safety, scientific progress, and effective use of public funds,” they wrote. “These cuts seem arbitrary and disregard the Congressional Budget Act.”
The resignation program is intended to streamline the federal workforce and lessen waste and inefficiency throughout the government.
This year has not been smooth for NASA, as tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman was pulled from the administrator position shortly before a confirmation vote in late May.
Soon after, Trump appointed Sean Duffy, the Transport Director, as the interim NASA administrator. Duffy, a former Wisconsin senator, claimed, “We’ve made tremendous strides in improving our nation’s transport infrastructure, including modernizing air traffic control systems, while also enhancing roadways and bridges, making them more efficient.”
