Overview

• Nearly 3,900 NASA employees have applied for voluntary separation since President Trump’s return, cutting the agency’s staff by more than 20 percent.
• In the second round, about 3,000 workers signed up for the program and 870 exited in the first, with departures to be finalized after last Friday’s deadline.
• The White House’s budget plan for fiscal year 2026 proposes reducing NASA’s funding from $24 billion to $18 billion and shifting spending from climate and science to crewed lunar and Martian missions.
• NASA officials emphasize that safety and efficiency remain top priorities as the agency retools for a new era of deep space exploration.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is serving as interim NASA administrator after President Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman’s nomination last spring.