The 2025 federal job cuts have been ruthless in their eliminations, and the saga thus continues. This time, the NASA buyout program has seen almost 4,000 workers accept their fate and leave the organization for greener pastures, as the administration has continued to push downsizing efforts among its ranks. While a large number of the civil servants participated in the NASA voluntary employee exit program earlier in the year, a more staggering collective of them followed suit in the second round that was concluded on Friday.
This mass exodus may help bring down the costs of the current programs and scale down the projects as the country continues to open up doors for competitors like SpaceX, but there are mounting concerns surrounding where this talent will head next. NASA’s workforce cuts are expected to leave the organization with 14,000 workers in the end, a roughly 20% drop in the numbers, which is a significant turn of events and could vastly alter the space agency’s operations.
Image: Pexels
The NASA Buyout Program Sees 4,000 Employees Leave Voluntarily
Let’s get the facts straight regarding the NASA buyouts. The NASA job cuts in July are expected to amount to 3,000 workers, not through targeted layoffs but voluntary exits. NASA’s voluntary employee exit program was first offered to employees earlier in the year, where around 870 workers agreed to leave the agency. Additionally, it is believed that around 500 employees left through regular attrition, bringing NASA’s civil servant workforce down from around 18,000 to 14,000.
The headcount reduction through NASA’s deferred resignation program for 2025 isn’t final, as some applications might be rejected or withdrawn in the coming weeks, however, the numbers aren’t expected to change drastically.
“Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organization and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a golden era of exploration and innovation, including to the moon and Mars,” NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement, according to CBS News. The employee cuts are a part of the White House’s mission to cut funding for the department by about 25% for the fiscal year 2026.
NASA’s Workforce Shake-up Strategy Has Left Employees Frustrated
The jump in the number of employees accepting the NASA buyouts is not surprising considering how they have been pushing back against the administration’s efforts to curb their advancement. Over 363 NASA scientists and a mix of current and former employees recently signed the “Voyager Declaration,” a statement that criticized the decision to cut the funding and asked for the administration to reconsider the proposed changes to the agency.
“Major programmatic shifts at NASA must be implemented strategically so that risks are managed carefully. Instead, the last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA’s workforce,” the statement read.
“We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement, and efficient use of public resources. These cuts are arbitrary and have been enacted in defiance of congressional appropriations law. The consequences for the agency and the country alike are dire,” it went on to say, expressing the collective’s act of formal dissent against the changes being levied.
Employees also staged a “Moon Day” protest on July 20, using the 56th anniversary of the moon landing to express their opposition to the changes.
The Chaos At NASA Extends Right From the Leadership
The budget and job cuts at NASA aren’t the only problems plaguing the department—workers are also operating without an experienced leader at the helm. Despite an early nomination for Jared Isaacman to lead the department in December, internal conflicts with non-governmental force Elon Musk appear to have driven the administration to withdraw the nomination in recent months.
Now, taking over from Janet Petro, Interim NASA Administrator, who is also the active Director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is currently overseeing NASA operations. Employees expressed their frustrations regarding “recent actions to NASA leadership” in the Voyager Declaration as well, reiterating their inability to get their concerns acknowledged by a permanent leader.
The NASA buyouts will not drain the organization of its workforce entirely, so current and future projects may proceed as planned, however, the disrupted state of work leaves much to be desired. While there are calls to “put America First in Space,” the draining of resources and lack of communication with employees suggest there is work to be done to improve the state of affairs. An atmosphere of chaos is not ideal for any organization, particularly one with sensitive work that needs the full attention of employees, and this is something other employers need to keep in mind while considering job cuts as well.
Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights into the changing landscape of work and employment in 2025.