GAO Says 25 NASA Projects Feel 22% Workforce Cut as Future Delays Loom
Updated
Updated · SpaceNews · Jul 23
GAO Says 25 NASA Projects Feel 22% Workforce Cut as Future Delays Loom
3 articles · Updated · SpaceNews · Jul 23
Summary
25 of 36 major NASA projects told the GAO they were affected after NASA lost 22% of its civil servant workforce in the past year through deferred retirements.
The GAO said the departures left staffing misaligned with program needs: Goddard lost 34% of civil servants, SLS nearly 20%, and Orion 10%, forcing some projects to revise work or flag workforce risk.
So far, cost and schedule damage has been limited—only two programs slipped by one month each—but the report logged $478.2 million in net overruns, concentrated in SLS Block 1B and Orion.
NASA’s human capital office warned the full impact has not yet been realized, citing skill gaps in engineering, IT and cybersecurity and pointing to Psyche’s earlier one-year delay and $132 million cost increase.
NASA has started hiring measures, including contractor conversions and temporary technical assignments, but 2027 budget uncertainty could trigger further cuts or halt planned hiring.