NASA closes offices, lays off staff as it prepares for larger workforce reductions

WASHINGTON — NASA is closing three offices and laying off their staff as a first step in broader workforce reductions at the agency ordered by the Trump administration.

NASA announced March 10 that it was closing the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Branch of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The employees of those offices, 23 in total, will be laid off.

“To optimize our workforce, and in compliance with an Executive Order, NASA is beginning its phased approach to a reduction in force, known as a RIF,” NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement. “A small number of individuals received notification Monday they are a part of NASA’s RIF.”

In a memo to agency employees, NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro said the layoffs were part of broader efforts mandated by the White House to reduce the size of the federal workforce through what is officially known as a “Workforce Optimization Initiative” in an executive order issued Feb. 11. That order directed agencies to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force” with a report due in 30 days on “whether the agency or any of its subcomponents should be eliminated or consolidated.”

“In compliance with this directive, we are actively working with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop a thoughtful approach that aligns with both administration priorities and our mission needs,” Petro wrote in the memo. “While this will mean making difficult adjustments, we’re viewing this as an opportunity to reshape our workforce, ensuring we are doing what is statutorily required of us, while also providing American citizens with an efficient and effective agency.”

The closure of the three offices, she said was “occurring in advance of the agency’s RIF and reorganization plan as part of the broader governmentwide restructuring effort.”

NASA created the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy in 2021, primarily reassigning existing personnel to the new office. The intent of the office, NASA said at the time, was to provide “data- and evidence-driven technology, policy, and strategy advice” for NASA. It has worked on topics such as space sustainability and space solar power studies. It is led by an associate administrator, Charity Weeden.

NASA’s chief scientist, a position held since 2022 by climate scientist Kate Calvin, serves as the principal adviser to NASA senior leadership on science issues. NASA has had a chief scientist since 1982 except for a period from 2005 to 2011 when the office was closed.

The agency had already moved to close its diversity office just two days after President Trump was inaugurated. The website of NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity was taken offline Jan. 22, along with those of similar offices at its field centers. That was in response to an executive order directing agencies to terminate DEIA programs and positions related to them.

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