NASA faces major workforce reduction, nearly 4,000 employees opt for voluntary departure
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NASA is set to see a significant downsizing of its workforce, with approximately 3,870 employees having applied to exit the agency under a voluntary resignation initiative.
A NASA spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Friday that the move would result in over 20% of the space agency’s civil servant workforce departing, though the final figure may fluctuate in the coming weeks.
The departures stem from two rounds of the Trump administration’s Deferred Resignation Program, a government-wide buyout initiative aimed at reducing federal personnel and cutting costs.
Applications for the program closed at midnight on Friday.
Should all current applications proceed, NASA’s staff would shrink from around 18,000 to approximately 14,000 employees. This total includes roughly 500 employees who left through standard attrition, the agency added.
“Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organization and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars,” NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement.
According to NASA, about 870 employees applied to resign in the program’s first round, while nearly 3,000 submitted applications in the second.
This staffing shift comes at a time when NASA faces broader structural and financial challenges. A proposed federal budget released in May suggests a sharp 25% funding cut for the agency in the 2026 fiscal year, reducing its budget from around $24 billion to $18 billion.
Compounding these difficulties is a recent leadership shake-up.
In December, President Trump nominated billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman - a close associate of Elon Musk and key figure in SpaceX projects - to lead the agency. However, just before the Senate confirmation vote in May, Trump withdrew Isaacman’s nomination. The decision was soon followed by a public falling out between Trump and Musk.
Earlier this month, Trump named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim administrator of NASA.
