HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — NASA could make large cuts to its workforce soon.
Employees who took the buyout offered by the Trump Administration to resign their positions are on their way out the door. The news outlet Ars Technica is reporting that the agency will begin laying off probationary employees.
A spokesperson at Marshall Space Flight Center told NewsNation affiliate WHNT Tuesday the agency is only processing employees who accepted the Deferred Resignation Program. The program told federal workers they would be paid through the end of September if they chose to immediately resign their position.
“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is complying with guidance and direction provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. At this time, Marshall is only processing employees who accepted OPM’s Deferred Resignation Program, and it is premature to discuss any potential impacts to our workforce.” – Lance Davis, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center Chief, Public Affairs & News.
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Last week, the president directed federal agencies to lay off their probationary employees.
A spokesperson said NASA is complying with the U.S. Office of Personal Management (OPM), and at this point, it is too early to share what this will mean for the agency as a whole.
The buyout offers represented the first wave of job cuts. Now, thousands of other federal employees have been laid off as ordered by President Trump’s OPM. The New York Times has reported that emails sent by OPM are encouraging federal workers to move from the public to the private sector, calling private sector jobs higher in productivity.
However, Huntsville has seen a shift in the private sector. Some of the area’s largest space contractors have announced layoffs.
Blue Origin plans to cut 10% of its workforce. Boeing may eliminate 400 positions over the next few months. Both companies have received billions of dollars in federal contracts, and the future of those contracts and the space programs they support is uncertain.
WHNT is following this story closely, and if you have any questions, reach out to us at news@whnt.com.
