Hundreds of NASA Employees, Past and Present, Sign Letter of Formal Dissent

[Uncle Joe]

The signatories of the “Voyager Declaration” warned the space agency’s leadership about the consequences of major budget cuts that would halt many science missions.

Nearly 300 people, some currently working at NASA, signed the formal dissent letter sent to the agency’s leadership.Credit...Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

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“We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement and efficient use of public resources,” the employees wrote in the letter. It is addressed to Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, whom President Trump appointed this month as acting NASA administrator.

Cuts to NASA programs have been arbitrary and in defiance of priorities set by Congress, the NASA employees said. “The consequences for the agency and the country alike are dire,” they wrote.

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“One of the messages that NASA management has been passing down to every employee is that no one is coming to save us, including Congress,” said one of the organizers of the letter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear for retaliation. “So the Voyager Declaration is one effort to raise our voices and speak out to save ourselves,” the person added.

The letter is framed as a “formal dissent” — an official process at NASA for registering disagreements that managers may not want to hear. It was part of changes instituted at NASA after the losses of the Columbia and Challenger space shuttles when concerns of some engineers were brushed aside.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/science/nasa-formal-dissent-letter-trump.html