NASA push back against budget cut

(MENAFN) More than 280 current and former NASA personnel have signed an open letter addressed to interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, voicing strong objections to budget cuts, staffing reductions, and policy shifts proposed by the Trump administration.

The letter, titled “The Voyager Declaration,” criticized what it called “rapid and wasteful changes” over the last six months, arguing that such moves threaten to squander public funds, endanger lives, harm national security, and erode NASA’s core mission.

Sean Duffy, who has also served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation since January, was appointed by President Donald Trump on July 9 as NASA’s acting administrator.

The letter described the budget cuts as “arbitrary,” noting that thousands of NASA employees have already been laid off, resigned, or taken early retirement. This, the signatories warned, has led to a critical loss of expertise essential to NASA’s success.

The group also raised alarms about reduced investment in science and aeronautics research, the shutdown of functioning spacecraft, and the U.S. pulling out of joint projects with major international partners.

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