- NASA said it is closing three offices and laying off nearly two dozen employees as part of workforce reductions ordered by the Trump administration. NASA said that it would close the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, the Office of the Chief Scientist, and the Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch of its DEI office.
- The space agency will also lay off about two dozen employees.
- In an email to employees obtained by Space News, NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro wrote that the layoffs are part of moves “mandated by the White House to reduce the size of the federal workforce.”
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NASA said it is closing three offices and laying off nearly two dozen employees as part of workforce reductions ordered by the Trump administration.
What offices are impacted?
NASA announced on Monday, March 10, it would close the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch of its DEI office.
Around two dozen employees will be laid off due to the closures.
Why is NASA making the move?
NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro wrote the layoffs are part of the White House’s effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
On Feb. 11, President Donald Trump signed the Workforce Optimization Initiative executive order. The order directed federal agencies to prepare for “large-scale reduction in force.” It also asked for a report due within 30 days on “whether the agency or any of its subcomponents should be eliminated or consolidated.”
Petro said that the closures of the offices are “in advance of the agency’s reduction in force” and part of “the broader governmentwide restructuring effort.”
What did the offices do for the agency?
NASA developed the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy in 2021 to deliver data on issues ranging from space sustainability to space solar research.
NASA’s Chief Scientist Kate Calvin is one of the employees being laid off. She is a key advisor to the agency’s senior leadership on science issues.
What is the bigger picture?
NASA already had plans to close its diversity office as a result of an executive order issued just days after Trump took office. The executive order directed federal agencies to end DEI programs and terminate employees within them.
Petro said the changes may “mean difficult adjustments” but said it’s “an opportunity to reshape our workforce … while also providing American citizens with an efficient and effective agency.”
