The closures will affect 23 employees across these offices: the Office of the Chief Scientist, the Office of Science, Policy, and Strategy, and the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity within the Office of Diversity.
The cuts are part of an efficiency drive initiated by the new administration of President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January.
Trump’s previous actions have included withdrawal from the World Health Organization and cuts to US development aid through USAID.
Implementing Trump’s Executive Orders
Petro mentioned in the email that NASA is working to implement Trump’s executive orders, which include directives for government agencies to reduce and reorganize their workforces. Trump has signed 87 executive orders since taking office on January 20.
Along with personnel cuts, the US government has targeted scientific efforts. On March 9, the US military announced it would terminate over 90 scientific studies on defense threats posed by climate change.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on X that the Department of Defense “does not do climate change crap.”
A third of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce was laid off recently.
Chief Scientist Position Not Unprecedentedly Cut
Katherine Calvin took office as NASA’s chief scientist in 2022 under former President Joe Biden with a focus on climate change.
NASA has had chief scientists since 1982. The role is to advise the agency’s administrator and keep the voice of science prominent, as stated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on March 10, 2022.
The position has remained vacant from 1997-1999 under President Bill Clinton, 2005-2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and in 2017 again under Obama.
Edited by: Fred Schwaller
