Donald Trump promised cuts during his administration, but NASA JPL is already laying off staff: here’s why

President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed to carry out ssignificant cost reductions in the American public administration, which could translate into the closure of some federal agencies and budget cuts for many others. But some taxpayer-funded programs have been under pressure since before Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 30.

One of the most important laboratories for NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), assures that its funds are not enough to continue operating as before. Consequently, has decided Dispense with 325 of its workers, which translates to approximately 5% of its workforce. JPL Director Laurie Leshin has said that this “difficult decision” will allow them to adjust to their budget allocation.

JPL doesn’t have enough money and lays off staff

Leshin points out that the layoffs will reach all technical, commercial and support areas of the laboratory. It also specifies that this movement occurs after a rigorous analysis. It should be noted that this is not the first time that JPL has laid off some of its personnel. At the beginning of this year cut 530 jobs and, on top of that, it stopped working with a hundred contractors in the middle of a budget challenge.

JPL is NASA’s main center for robotic planetary exploration and its program is at the epicenter of the latest problems. Mars Sample Return. This is a mission planned jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA) that seeks to bring samples from the surface of Mars to Earth. The problem is that the costs of the project have started to skyrocket, but Congress has released fewer funds than requested.

The JPL director also said that this will likely be the last time they will make a personnel adjustment at the laboratory in the near future. Following the move announced this week, JPL will have around 5,5000 employeeswhich is considered a stable figure and capable of being maintained over time. “Although the change in leadership at NASA may bring challenges and opportunities, this decision does not depend on the recent election result,” he said.

We will have to wait to find out what will happen with the Mars Sample Return program during Donald Trump’s presence. Space exploration may be one of its goals, but it also appears to be cost-cutting. Musk, one of the most important players in the space sector and a faithful ally of Trump, will collaborate externally with the new administration to “unnecessarily and restructure federal agencies,” among other tasks.

Images | JPL/NASA

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