Saving NASA’s Workforce Act
Key claim: The Saving NASA’s Workforce Act would bar NASA from initiating reductions in force or most involuntary separations until full-year FY2026 appropriations for NASA are enacted.
Abstract
(HR2210 · 119th Congress) Saving NASA’s Workforce Act This bill prohibits the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from initiating or implementing any reduction in its workforce until FY2026 full-year appropriations for NASA have been enacted. During this period, NASA is also prohibited from conducting involuntary separations for employees in the competitive service, career employees in the excepted service, and career appointees in the Senior Executive Service, except in cases of misconduct, delinquency, or inefficiency. On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing , which required executive branch agencies to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and positions. Further, on February 11, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative , which required executive branch agencies to initiate large-scale reductions in force. On March 10, 2025, NASA announced that it would close certain offices and lay off associated staff in compliance with these executive orders. NASA ultimately closed the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Branch of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Latest action (2025-03-18): Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Why this matters
The bill is one of a growing set of narrow, agency-specific legislative pushbacks against executive-branch RIF authority and announced office closures, tying workforce protection to the appropriations cycle. For NASA employees it would freeze involuntary separations through FY2026 enactment; for the executive branch it would remove a key restructuring lever at a single agency without altering the broader RIF framework.