NASA has begun implementing recruitment and office closures as part of Doge's efforts to reduce the federal workforce. Along with substantial reductions in Dei's workforce, the agency is also cutting down the offices of chief scientists run by the agency's senior climate advisors. The cut is not expected to affect space exploration-related operations, such as the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Independence Report NASA has begun firing employees and closing several offices as part of the Trump administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative to reduce the size of the federal government. The Space Agency announced cuts on Monday. This affects hundreds of workers.
According to an email from delegate administrator Janet Petro distributed on social media, NASA is closing its offices of technology, policy and strategy, the offices of chief scientists, as well as the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility branch. Agents are also cutting back on staff in those departments. Perhaps the most well-known employee affected by the cut, NASA chief scientist Katherine Calvin also served as a senior climate advisor to the agency.
“We will close the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility branch of NASA's Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, Chief Scientist's Office, and the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and reduce the workforce,” Petro wrote in an email.
She acknowledged that the affected people were “valuable members” of NASA and that their work contributed to the agency's recent achievements. “We know that this news is difficult and could have a different impact on us,” Peter said. “This magnitude change is by no means easy, but our strength comes from our mission and shared commitment to each other.”
The layoffs are at a busy time for NASA, with several well-known projects underway, including the Artemis Mission, which will bring astronauts back to the moon, and the launch of two science missions scheduled for Monday evening. But so far, the cut has not affected NASA's offices and staff in particular on spaceflight and exploration.
As expected, leftists in the space community and academia quickly criticized the cuts.
“These are talented people who believe in the work they are doing, and firing them is definitely not a way to help our country,” said Dr. Meredith McGregor, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, on a blueski social media platform.
Dr. Grant Tremblay, an astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysics Center, warned that X's reduction could permanently undermine NASA. “NASA is small, but perhaps the most legendary and globally beloved agency in American history. That infuriation has begun, and the cut to come is so big that we won't recognize it in a year,” he said. “Many of these cuts are likely to be irreversible in nature, with no returns…”
Other NASA scientists have criticized the strategy behind the layoffs. “Because a bunch of white people without science or technology strategies is the perfect way for #NASA to succeed,” tweeted Bob Paparard, a planetary scientist who worked on the European Clipper Mission. Dr. Jessie Christiansen, chief scientist at the NASA exoplanet Science Institute, said the US “just hand the outstanding hand of space above the fist.”
The layoffs were initially set to be much swept away, as there is a fear that NASA could lose 10% of the entire 18,000 workforce. This is a reduction in staffing levels that have not been seen since 1961.
Certain NASA centers, such as the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, were said to be exempt from job cuts for now. Houston Chronicle and Space News. This shows that NASA is returning to its actual mission of excellence in the universe, rather than becoming a heaven for climate warnings and radical DEI policies.
Please read more Become independent here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, which covers the issues of freedom of speech and online censorship.
