At least 2,145 senior-level NASA employees—many of them top scientists and mission-critical managers—are voluntarily heading for the exits, according to internal documents obtained by Politico.
The exits come as part of a bold push by the Trump White House to downsize a bloated and politicized federal bureaucracy.
These GS-13 to GS-15 employees—many of whom wield enormous behind-the-scenes influence over NASA’s billion-dollar programs—represent the backbone of the agency’s managerial and technical power structure, making their exit a potential turning point in U.S. space policy.
According to Politico, 2,694 civil servants are taking early retirements, buyouts, or deferred resignations as NASA is hollowed out from within — a direct result of Trump’s 2026 budget proposal that slashes the agency’s funding by 25% and seeks to eliminate over 5,000 jobs.
Below are some of the numbers of staff who are leaving:
- Goddard Space Flight Center (MD): 607 staff gone
- Johnson Space Center (TX): 366 staff
- Kennedy Space Center (FL): 311 staff
- NASA HQ (DC): 307 staff
- Langley (VA): 281
- Marshall (AL): 279
- Glenn (OH): 191
More from Politico:
At Johnson, home of NASA’s human space flight operations, 366 staff are set to leave, or nearly all of the 419 staff the White House envisioned cutting in its 2026 budget. At Kennedy, home to NASA’s primary rocket launch site, 311 have left out of a White House target of 504. With NASA still accepting deferred resignations, more could easily leave.
“NASA remains committed to our mission as we work within a more prioritized budget,” said NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens. “We are working closely with the Administration to ensure that America continues to lead the way in space exploration, advancing progress on key goals, including the Moon and Mars.”
Even small losses, meanwhile, have a large impact. NASA’s legislative affairs staff, which helps answer questions from Congress on the agency’s mission, is seeing five staffers leave. That office typically numbers around 35, meaning a staff reduction of nearly 15 percent, according to a former staffer, granted anonymity to discuss staffing levels.
A second NASA staffer departing the agency, granted anonymity to discuss their decision, said the large percentage of people leaving their office would likely affect operations. “It’s very significant,” he said. “It’s leaving us with a lot of experience drain.”
The departing staffer described their decision to leave as influenced in part by fear of the proposed NASA budget cuts and the lack of a Senate-approved NASA administrator: “Things just sound like it’s going to get worse.”
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