Overview
- NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens called reports of improper lab closures and equipment relocations at Goddard "false" and said any worker access during the shutdown was cleared case by case by agency lawyers.
- A Nov. 10 letter led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren demanded an immediate pause to facility and capability moves at the Maryland center and asked the NASA inspector general to investigate potential violations.
- E&E News, the Baltimore Sun and employee messages describe buildings being shuttered and expensive hardware and staff relocated during the shutdown, including an unnamed astronomer’s claim that an Artemis 3 instrument lab was told to vacate without a new location.
- Maryland officials voiced alarm, with Gov. Wes Moore’s office seeking transparency, Sen. Chris Van Hollen reviewing possible Antideficiency Act issues, and Rep. Glenn Ivey calling reports of hardware disposal unsettling.
- Coverage links the actions to the administration’s proposed 2026 cuts—particularly to Earth science—as union representatives and planning documents point to an accelerated downsizing and consolidation at Goddard.