NASA renews its push to slash its workforce

Updated June 9 at 11:56 p.m.

NASA became the latest agency to offer its employees an opportunity to accept a deferred resignation as a form of a buyout, a move the agency said will help reduce its headcount. 

Eligible employees will also have access to early retirement and regular buyout payments, an agency spokesperson said. While the deferred resignation offers at all agencies to date placed employees on paid administrative leave through Sept. 30, NASA’s new offer—which takes effect much later than its predecessors—would keep employees on the rolls through Jan. 9, 2026. The Trump administration is pushing to dramatically slash the space agency’s budget and is expected to significantly cut its workforce, even as it hopes to avoid layoffs.

“Looking ahead, we’re taking steps to streamline operations and ensure we're aligned with mission priorities,” acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro said in a message to staff on Friday. “Starting next week, we'll introduce voluntary separation tools, including a new Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) to help manage workforce transitions thoughtfully and transparently.”

She added that despite the cuts to the workforce, NASA would “remain focused on maintaining the technical excellence and capability our mission demands.”

Petro appears likely to remain as NASA’s acting leader for the foreseeable future, as President Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead the agency. Elon Musk originally suggested Isaacman for the role, but Trump allegedly soured on the pick over the entrepreneur’s previous donations to Democrats.  

Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokesperson, said the separation incentive offers went out to all civil servants at the agency but eligibility would ultimately depend on each employee’s situation. 

“NASA is continuing its phased approach to streamline its workforce and reduce its overall headcount,” Warner said. “This affords employees the opportunity to depart while ensuring the agency remains fully capable to pursue its mission.” 

Some employees deemed to be filling a critical need will not begin their paid leave until April 1, 2026 and will depart the agency on Sept. 30 of that year.

Leaders at facilities such as Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland have told employees they already expected to lose 18% of staff before accounting for additional incentives. The first round of deferred resignations, the ongoing hiring freeze and historical attrition rates would lead to such a reduction, they said.  

Those same officials have said they are hopeful to avoid large-scale reductions in force. In his fiscal 2026 budget proposal, Trump suggested slashing NASA’s budget by 24% and cutting 29% of its workforce. The latter reductions would be among the most significant of any large federal agency under Trump’s blueprint. 

NASA has already gone through one round of RIFs: the agency closed its Office of the Chief Scientist and the Office of Technology Policy and Strategy and sent RIF notices to their roughly 20 employees on March 10. The latter office included the Office of the Chief Economist, which helped NASA increase engagement with commercial space companies and understand the economic potential of space. Petro told staff at the time the cuts were “difficult adjustments,” but the agency viewed them as “an opportunity to reshape our workforce.”

This story has been updated with additional detail.