Overview

• More than 2,145 senior staff members have opted for early retirement, buyouts or deferred resignations under NASA’s Deferred Resignation Program tied to the proposed FY2026 cuts
• Departing employees include 1,818 specialists in science and human spaceflight and hundreds more in support roles such as IT, finance and facilities
• The Trump administration’s draft FY2026 budget called for over $6 billion in cuts, slashing nearly half of NASA’s science portfolio and jeopardizing dozens of missions
• Senators Chris Van Hollen, Jerry Moran and other appropriators put forward a bipartisan $24.9 billion proposal to maintain current funding and protect flagship programs like Artemis and Mars Sample Return
• NASA remains without a Senate-confirmed administrator and its ability to carry out high-priority exploration and research objectives is under intense scrutiny due to leadership and staffing gaps