NASA loses another senior official as tension grows about the agency's future
Makenzie Lystrup, who has served as director of the center in Maryland since April 2023, will leave the agency on Aug. 1, according to a NASA statement. Goddard oversees a number of key NASA missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the OSIRIS-REx mission that collected samples from an asteroid.
Lystrup's resignation comes less than two months after Laurie Leshin stepped down as director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
The departures are playing out as NASA and other government agencies contend with significant cuts to funding and personnel, as part of a broader push to shrink the size of the federal workforce. Questions are swirling internally at NASA and on Capitol Hill about how the space agency can accomplish its work with far fewer personnel and why such cuts are moving ahead before Congress has authorized the agency's budget.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 senior-level employees are set to leave NASA as part of an effort to cut the agency's workforce, as was first reported by Politico. Those include people in senior positions of management and individuals with specialized skills, Politico reported, raising concerns about a 'brain drain' at the space agency.
Workers at the space agency have until Friday to accept 'deferred resignations,' buyouts or early retirement offers.
President Donald Trump's proposed budget for 2026 would slash about 25%, or more than $6 billion, from NASA's budget. The steepest cuts would come out of the agency's space science, Earth science and mission support divisions, according to the budget blueprint.
If enacted by Congress, the budget would also phase out NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which the agency was developing to return astronauts to the moon.
In response to the budget blueprint, more than 280 current and former NASA employees signed a letter to Sean Duffy, NASA's interim administrator, stating that the Trump administration's recent policies 'have or threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the core NASA mission.'
The letter, known as the Voyager Declaration, said the changes have caused 'catastrophic impacts' to the agency's workforce, and have 'prioritized political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement, and efficient use of public resources.'
Before NASA's prior acting administrator Janet Petro was replaced by Duffy, employees pressed her to explain how the budget cuts and restructuring underway served the best interests of the space agency, according to internal correspondence read by NBC.
It's not clear if Lystrup and Leshin's departures are related to the ongoing turmoil at NASA and other government agencies. In NASA's announcement about Leshin's resignation, it said she was stepping down 'for personal reasons.'
The agency did not provide a reason for Lystrup's resignation. In an internal email obtained by NBC News, Lystrup said she leaves with 'confidence' in the Goddard's leadership team 'and all of you who will shape the next chapter of this center.'
'I am honored to have been part of this incredible journey with you,' she wrote in the email. 'It has been my privilege.'
NASA said Monday that Cynthia Simmons, who currently serves as Goddard's deputy director, will take over as acting center director in August.
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NBC News
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- NBC News
How Trump's 'big beautiful bill' is shaping this year's biggest elections
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'The races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey in November will be voters' first opportunity to reject Trump's harmful budget bill — and the GOP nominees will not be able to run from their record of supporting these deeply unpopular Medicaid cuts,' DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper wrote in the memo. A congressional analysis published by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimates that in Virginia, more than 300,000 residents could lose their health care by 2034. The number is a combination of people who could lose their Medicaid under changes to the program and people who would no longer be eligible for the state's expansion of that program under the Affordable Care Act. 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NBC News
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The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
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Trump has limited ways to block Washington Commanders' stadium deal
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The $3.7 billion stadium deal, which includes $1.1 billion in local taxpayer funds, is in the hands of the D.C. Council, which is nearing a vote on the project. "The president can say what he wants, but the law is clear. D.C. has full power over that site," said Ankit Jain, who serves as one of D.C.'s two elected shadow U.S. senators. "There are certain conditions that D.C. has to meet - and none of them are, 'what is the name of the team.'" Ways Trump could try to impede stadium deal Trump called for the Commanders to go back to its original name in a July 20 social media post that also pushed for the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Indians, to bring back its old name. "There is a big clamoring for this," Trump wrote, adding in a subsequent post that he "may put a restriction on them" if the Commanders keep their name and "won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington." Trump has no role in signing off on the stadium project. But because of D.C.'s unique status as an enclave of the federal government, the president could potentially find ways to try to impede the deal. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has authority over the D.C. Although the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act gave the city local governance with an elected mayor and city council, Congress still has a 30-day review of all legislation passed by the D.C. Council and retains authority over the district's budget. That arrangement could give Trump an opportunity to rally Republicans in Congress to block the stadium legislative package during the review period after the deal passes the council. In addition, a memorandum of understanding between D.C. and Trump's Interior Department would be required to address environmental hazards with the RFK site. And the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission - which includes three Trump appointments and three Republican members of Congress - must sign off on final stadium designs. Both hurdles could present Trump moments for intervention. More: Native Americans rail against Trump's call to change Commanders' name back. Trump has also shown a willingness in other political battles to threaten federal funding from states, cities, colleges and universities to get his way. Would he be willing to do the same to D.C. over the Commanders name issue? "I don't think this is a serious threat," Jain said of Trump's demand that the Commanders adopt its old name. Instead, Jain suggested Trump raised the issue as "a distraction" from the the backlash the president has faced for his handling of the government's files involving wealthy financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "I don't think it's something that he's going to really follow up on, and there's very limited ability for him to do do anything there," Jain said. Truly loyalist in Congress has helped pave way to stadium The White House insists Trump isn't kidding around. "The president was serious," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters July 21, pointing to Trump's reputation as a dealmaker. "As part of the 'art of the deal,' part of his negotiating skills, as you know, sports is one of the many passions of this president and he wants to see this team's name changed." When asked to explain Trump's authority to block the Commanders' stadium deal, a White House official directed USA TODAY to the comments from Leavitt, who did not address how Trump could execute his threat. More: Trump 'serious' about blocking Washington Commanders relocation to DC, White House says Convincing Republicans in Congress to block the stadium deal if the council approves the legislation could be a tough sale, even for Trump. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., a Trump ally and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, worked to get the land transfer of the RFK site through Congress and is a vocal supporter of the project. In a July 17 letter to the D.C. Council's chairman, Comer urged the council to approve the stadium deal no later than August and expressed disappointment in delays that have held up a vote. "The federal government transferred administrative control of this valuable property with the clear expectation that the D.C. Council would act decisively to maximize its potential," Comer wrote. Commanders, DC mayor stay quiet on Trump Longtime Washington owner Daniel Snyder in 2023 sold the team to a new ownership group led by billionaire investor Josh Harris, who has elected to keep Commanders as the name and has called the debate settled. The team just completed its most successful season in decades, capped by an appearance in the NFC championship game. The Commanders and Harris have not issued a formal statement on Trump's remarks. Commanders General Manager Adam Peters, addressing reporters on the first day of training camp Tuesday, said the team isn't focused on the stadium situation. "We really just try to focus on what's going on in here and getting ready for the season," Peters said. More: Commanders are focused on football, not Trump's stadium threats Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who helped orchestrate the stadium deal, deflected when a reporter asked her Monday whether she believes Trump has the power to block the Commanders' stadium deal. "I think the thing that we should focus on in D.C. is doing our part," Bowser said, adding that the council still needs to give the green light. "We need to complete our part." Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has often talked about taking over the governance of D.C., a city he has long derided for crime and homelessness. Nevertheless, Trump hosted Bowser and the Commanders' Harris at the White House in May to announce Washington's National Mall would host the 2027 NFL Draft. Trump never mentioned the Commanders name during the announcement In fact, more than a decade ago, Trump had a very different take in 2013 when then-President Barack Obama said the Redskins should consider changing the team name to something less offensive. "President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems!" Trump wrote on Twitter at the time. "FOCUS on them, not nonsense." Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
