{"id":839920,"date":"2025-04-08T18:12:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T23:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/nasa-closes-offices-lays-off-staff-as-it-prepares-for-larger-workforce-reductions\/"},"modified":"2025-04-08T18:12:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T23:12:27","slug":"nasa-closes-offices-lays-off-staff-as-it-prepares-for-larger-workforce-reductions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/nasa-closes-offices-lays-off-staff-as-it-prepares-for-larger-workforce-reductions\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA closes offices, lays off staff as it prepares for larger workforce reductions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t
<\/p>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\"Calvin\"

NASA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, led by Kate Calvin since 2022, is among the offices NASA announced March 10 it is closing. Credit:<\/span> NASA\/Joel Kowsky<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\n
\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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,\u201d NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement. \u201cA small number of individuals received notification Monday they are a part of NASA\u2019s RIF.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cWorkforce Optimization Initiative\u201d in an executive order<\/a> issued Feb. 11. That order directed agencies to \u201cpromptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force\u201d with a report due in 30 days on \u201cwhether the agency or any of its subcomponents should be eliminated or consolidated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 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,\u201d Petro wrote in the memo. \u201cWhile this will mean making difficult adjustments, we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The closure of the three offices, she said was \u201coccurring in advance of the agency\u2019s RIF and reorganization plan as part of the broader governmentwide restructuring effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA created the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy in 2021<\/a>, primarily reassigning existing personnel to the new office. The intent of the office, NASA said at the time, was to provide \u201cdata- and evidence-driven technology, policy, and strategy advice\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The agency had already moved to close its diversity office<\/a> just two days after President Trump was inaugurated. The website of NASA\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Read more: SpaceNews is tracking DOGE\u2019s impact on space and the federal workforce<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews.<\/p>\n

He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor\u2019s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science…\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore by Jeff Foust\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/main>
\n\t<\/section>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NASA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, led by Kate Calvin since 2022, is among the offices NASA announced March 10 it is closing. Credit: NASA\/Joel Kowsky WASHINGTON \u2014 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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":839921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24363,1373],"tags":[6759,10145],"class_list":{"0":"post-839920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-closes","8":"category-offices","9":"tag-closes","10":"tag-offices"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}