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NASA Workforce Shrinks Over 20% Through Deferred Resignation Program

NASA confirms more than 3,870 departures under its Deferred Resignation Program, prompting legal challenges over mission readiness, funding authority, safety.

Approximately 3,870 NASA employees have opted to leave through the government’s Deferred Resignation Program
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Overview

  • NASA received 3,870 applications in two Deferred Resignation Program rounds closed on July 25, representing over one-fifth of its 18,000 civil servants.
  • Combined with about 500 normal attritions, the agency’s civil servant headcount is expected to fall to roughly 14,000 pending final review and potential withdrawals.
  • Interim Administrator Sean Duffy and agency leadership emphasize that mission safety remains paramount as NASA pursues its Moon and Mars exploration goals.
  • Bipartisan lawmakers on the House Science Committee and hundreds of current and former staff have filed letters contesting the program’s legality and warning of lost institutional knowledge.
  • The buyout initiative, spearheaded by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, seeks to downsize NASA without involuntary layoffs under President Trump’s federal efficiency drive.