NASA Staff Voice Disapproval of Budget Reductions in Formal Written Objection
In a significant move, current and former NASA employees have come together to voice their concerns about the Trump administration's proposed budget for NASA. On July 21, an official letter of dissent titled "The Voyager Declaration" was released, formally protesting the proposed drastic budget cuts and mission shutdowns at NASA.
The letter argues that these actions threaten the agency’s scientific integrity, astronaut safety, and decades of progress in space exploration, aeronautics, and climate science. It specifically criticizes a nearly 50% proposed reduction in NASA's Science Mission Directorate budget by 2026, the cancellation of missions in development, termination of contracts and grants, and the weakening of NASA’s Technical Authority.
Signatories of the declaration warn that rapid, politically-driven changes are undermining NASA’s core mission, causing workforce morale issues including a “culture of organizational silence,” and risking human safety and scientific discovery. They urge interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy not to enact these unprecedented cuts, emphasizing that such decisions defy congressional appropriations law and risk wasting public resources with catastrophic impacts on NASA’s capability and national interests.
Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman is among those who have signed the letter of dissent. In a recent conversation with Host Flora Lichtman, Coleman expressed her dissent against the proposed budget cuts and mission changes at NASA. She emphasized the importance of quality science journalism in understanding and discussing NASA's mission and budget.
The proposed budget also involves shutting down 19 currently operating science missions, which the signatories of the Voyager Declaration argue would be detrimental to ongoing research and the future of space exploration.
For those interested in supporting quality science journalism, donations can be made on the website mentioned during Coleman's conversation with Host Flora Lichtman. The letter of dissent serves not only to inform the public about the internal dissent and challenges faced within NASA under the policy shifts but also to highlight the importance of maintaining NASA's mission and ensuring the safety of its workforce and scientific discoveries.
- The Voyager Declaration, penned by current and former NASA employees, criticizes the Trump administration's proposed budget for NASA, arguing that the drastic budget cuts and mission shutdowns threaten space exploration, aeronautics, and climate science, and weaken NASA's Technical Authority.
- Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, one of the signatories of the Voyager Declaration, emphasized the importance of quality science journalism in understanding and discussing NASA's mission and budget, and also highlighted the potential harmful impact of shutting down 19 science missions on ongoing research and the future of space exploration.
