David Bridges
The recent closure of the second round of deferred resignations for NASA staff took place on Friday, revealing that approximately 3,000 employees have applied to leave the organization, as reported by . The initiative, initiated under the Trump administration, was presented as a buyout option for government workers starting in January. This strategy aimed at reducing the federal workforce significantly, as directed by policy changes, encouraged employees to consider resigning while still receiving benefits and pay for a specified duration. In the previous round, around 870 NASA employees chose to depart. The space agency launched this second round in June, setting a deadline for applications on July 25.
This latest influx of applications raises the total number of resignations to nearly 4,000 employees, accounting for roughly 20 percent of NASA’s entire workforce, according to a statement released to Bloomberg. This development follows an earlier report indicating that over 2,000 senior NASA staff members were also considering similar actions.
NASA is currently facing proposed budget cuts that could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs. In a collective effort, a group of current and former NASA employees has urged Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to oppose these “harmful cuts” in a letter published on July 21. They expressed concerns that the recent policies could “waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the essential NASA mission.”
Brandon Fletcher
