Politico, referring to the documents obtained on Wednesday, said on Wednesday that at least 2,145 senior-rankings are set to leave the agency amidst the plan of the National Aeronautics and Space Administrative (NASA), the Trump Administration’s plan.
The decision is associated with the proposed budget deduction for NASA, which will trim about 25% of its financing and will potentially affect the significant space exploration missions.
Politico report comes on a high heel shoe of a letter from the Executive Office of the US President, which was sent to the chairman of the US Committee in early May, with jurisdiction at discretionary expenses.
On May 2, 2025, from the Executive Office of Susan Colins from the Executive Office of the US President, US Senate Committee Chairman, US President Trump offered recommendations at discretionary finance levels for the financial year 2026.
The letter states that the recommendations come after a rigid line-line review of the financial year 2025 spending.
The Budget proposal of the Trump administration’s 2026 includes significant cuts in NASA funding, which will reduce the agency’s workforce.
Trump proposed a budget cut and cut for eight out of eight areas of NASA’s funding. The administration aims to reduce the size and cost of the federal government, with one of the NASA affected agencies.
These are the offices of space science, mission support, earth science, inheritance human exploration system, space technology, international space stations, aeronautics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
The trimmed is part of a strategy to customize the federal workforce, offering early retirement, purchase and resignation to achieve this goal with NASA.
In the letter, Trump recommended to reduce funding for climate monitoring satellites, staging space launch system rockets and orian capsules, reduced crew and cargo flights at international space stations and cut ‘subsidy vok stem programming and research’.
According to a report by Politico, the Act may potentially face trouble for the Space Policy of the White House and as a result deprives the agency of decades experience.
2,145 employees were reported to be from GS -13 to GS -15 posts -these are senior level government ranks which are reserved for people with specially special skills or management responsibilities.
Citing documents, Politico stated that the losses are particularly focused at high levels, setting 875 GS -15 employees to release.
It was reported that many of those who are leaving work in NASA’s main mission sets, according to the documents. These include employee members in mission areas such as science or human space flight, support roles like IT, facilities management or finance.
KC Draer, head of the space policy at the Planetary Society, reduced the move.
According to Politico, he said, “You are losing the managerial and main technical expertise of the agency … what a strategy, and what do we expect to achieve here?”
For departure 2026, a proposed White House budget falls on heels, resulting in NASA’s funding up to 25 percent and more than 5,000 employees. Politico reported that the deduction, if enacted by the Congress, would force the agency to work with the smallest budget and employees from the beginning of the 1960s.
In particular, these cuts are spread over each of the 10 regional centers of NASA.
According to Politico, the White House may lose employees who are important for their integral plans such as sending astronauts to the moon by the middle of 2010 and after the middle of Mars.
NASA spokesman Bethani Stevens said, “NASA is committed to our mission as we work within a more priority budget.” Politico said, “We are working closely with the administration to ensure that the US is making way in space exploration, leading the progress on major goals including Moon and Mars”.
Politico further mentioned that 2,694 civil servants who have left are just half of the total cuts that want to see the White House – if the door should be opened for involuntary cuts, more staff do not participate in the deferred resignation program, which lasts till 25 July.
The proposed cuts in the White House employees and the budget are not yet laws. Politico reported that the appropriations in the Congress may reject the vision of the White House for NASA. The Senate Commerce Committee, which covers NASA, indicated that it supports the retaining staff in the bill released in March.
Despite this, even though the Congress decides to reject the white house cuts as a threat, NASA may have a difficult time for employees to get back.
Politico stated that NASA employees with relevant skills may work for increasing number of space companies with high salary, or they may leave for non-interconnected industries where their skills are considered valuable, notable field robotics. (AI)
