In the shadow of Apollo-era rockets, AFGE National President Everett Kelley joined IFPTE President Matt Biggs, federal employees, and allies this week outside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to sound the alarm on what union leaders are calling the most dangerous assault on NASA’s mission and workforce in agency history.
The leafleting event drew attention to the Trump administration’s proposed 25% cut to NASA’s budget and the thousands of layoffs already underway – even before Congress has approved any appropriations. According to Reuters, nearly 20% of NASA’s workforce – roughly 4,000 employees – are being pushed out through early retirements, buyouts, or forced resignations.
“These aren’t just numbers; they are highly skilled engineers, scientists, safety inspectors, secretaries, technicians, program managers – and they are also mothers, fathers, neighbors, and veterans,” said Kelley. “The proposals would rip out the heart of NASA by driving away the talent that makes it great.”
The event was part of a growing wave of union action in response to the administration’s broader plan to dismantle the federal workforce and turn public science into private enterprise. The cuts are aligned with the agenda of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has advocated for shifting key NASA missions to private contractors like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
“Extremists in power right now have openly said they want to ‘dismantle the administrative state.’ They want to cripple federal agencies, shrink the workforce, and shove public functions into private hands,” Kelley continued. “NASA is not exempt from this ideology – in fact, it’s a target. And powerful private interests stand to gain billions from contracting out of our space program.”
More than 40 missions are on the chopping block if the budget is enacted, including Earth-monitoring satellites, space telescopes, and planetary exploration efforts. According to Space.com, even before the budget has passed, layoffs and hiring freezes have been initiated, and programs are being wound down. Nearly 1,000 newer employees were dismissed abruptly in February, many of them early-career professionals.
The scale and speed of the cuts have raised alarms across the scientific community. In the “Voyager Declaration,” nearly 300 current and former NASA employees – including four astronauts – warned that the agency’s “new culture of silence and compliance is undermining the very safety culture that was built after past tragedies,” according to Time Magazine.
Kelley expressed full support for the employees speaking out. “We stand with those brave NASA civil servants. Their fight is our fight. They are exemplifying the best of public service – speaking truth to power to protect the mission.”
The broader goal, Kelley emphasized, is not just to reverse the budget cuts but to preserve a vision of space exploration grounded in the public good. Privatization is no substitute for a robust public NASA. NASA works for the public interest, not profit. NASA shares its discoveries openly with the world, rather than hoarding them as proprietary secrets.
The rally at the museum is one of many steps AFGE and its allies are taking to mobilize support and demand accountability. Unions are calling on Congress to fully fund NASA, halt further layoffs, and investigate DOGE’s influence on agency operations.
“It’s about whether our government exists to serve the people or to serve the private interests of a handful of oligarchs,” Kelley said. “We’ve fought and won before when public services were on the line, and we will do it again.”
AFGE is urging members and allies to call their representatives and demand: Respect NASA’s Legacy. Protect NASA’s Future.
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