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On Monday morning, NASA conducted a reduction in force (RIF) for its Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), Office of the Chief Scientist, and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Scientists at these offices provided strategic insights and analysis on NASA’s partnerships and missions, ensured its science goals align with the administration’s science objectives, and ensured that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to space exploration.
News of the RIFs was shared anonymously with a non-NASA scientist, who reported it on social media. A spokesperson at NASA headquarters has since confirmed that 23 people have been fired. According to an inter-agency memo from NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro, the reduction in force was done in compliance with president’s executive order on workforce optimization and in coordination of the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget.
Memo from NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro on the 10 March 2025 reductions in force
Screenshot of a memo from Janet Petro on the 10 March reductions in force. Shared by Sarah Hörst
A reduction in force entails permanently eliminating positions with no intention of replacing them. This separates NASA’s action from the mass layoffs at other agencies driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), some of which were found to have been illegal. The memo describes this move as the start of a “phased reduction in force,” implying that more reductions will come.
Among those affected by the RIF was Therese Jones, a senior advisor at OTPS who was responsible for cross-mission directorate strategic planning related to lunar missions and space sustainability. She wrote on social media, “No one else in the agency was working on a long-term integrated strategy like this, and reductions in force of entire offices will not help us get back to the Moon or to Mars.”
A screenshot of a public Facebook post from Therese Jones that reads, “Looking for work. This morning, our office (NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy) received notice that our entire office was being subject to reduction in force, with 30 day notice. I've greatly enjoyed my brief time at NASA and think I've made lasting impact on lunar and space sustainability policy issues. In this time I've bridged major gaps across engineering, science, and policy that may prevent future missions from operating successfully in challenging environments. No one else in the agency was working on a long-term integrated strategy like this, and reductions in force of entire offices will not help us get back to the Moon or to Mars. I have extensive experience working across government regulatory agencies and the Hill from my last job as well. This is the government the American people apparently want, burn it all down (also literally with the impacts to BLM and National Parks Service).”
A public Facebook post shared by Therese Jones on 10 March 2025. Screenshot captured 10 March 2025 by Kimberly M. S. Cartier
News of these office closures comes days after the space science community was rocked by reports that the White House plans to propose 50% budget cuts to NASA’s science programs. Such a steep funding cut would amount to an “extinction event” for space science and exploration, said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society.
Although NASA’s budgets are set by Congress, the GOP-led majorities in the House and Senate have thus far shown little appetite for pushing back on the president’s agenda.
—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@astrokimcartier.bsky.social), Staff Writer
Research & Developments is a blog maintained by writers and editors at Eos to help put science policy news in context for Earth and space scientists. If you have a tip for R&D, email us at eos@agu.org.
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