NASA employees warn cuts threaten safety, advancement

A letter released Monday from more than 150 NASA employees urged agency officials not to make deep budgetary cuts proposed by the White House, saying they would have “dire” consequences.

“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,” their letter reads.

"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."

The White House’s budget proposal reduces NASA’s overall budget by 24 percent, including a reduction by nearly half of the agency’s science arm. Politico reported in early July that as many as 2,000 NASA employees could leave under early retirement, buyouts and other pushes to reduce staff.

The Monday letter is addressed to acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who also heads the Department of Transportation. In addition to 156 named signatories, it includes 287 current or former employees who have withheld their names for fear of retaliation.

Federal employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have written similar letters to their agencies in recent months, with mixed results. 

The EPA placed nearly 150 staffers on leave after they signed a letter of dissent against the Trump administration’s treatment of the agency.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, meanwhile, said that he welcomed the “respectful dissent.”

The letter from NASA employees follows a bipartisan letter from lawmakers to Duffy on Friday warning that it would be illegal to take action on Trump’s proposed cuts before Congress approves the budget.