NASA would be barred from starting any reduction in force or involuntarily separating employees until Congress enacts full-year appropriations for the agency for fiscal year 2026. The freeze covers competitive-service employees, career employees in the excepted service, and career members of the Senior Executive Service — effectively all of NASA's career civil servants. NASA could still remove an employee for cause, such as misconduct, delinquency, or inefficiency, so performance- or conduct-based firings are not affected. The protection is temporary: once a full-year NASA budget becomes law, the agency's normal reduction-in-force authority resumes. The bill responds to concerns about potential mass layoffs at the space agency during a period of budget uncertainty, providing interim job security for thousands of NASA's career employees.
Congressional Summary
Saving NASA’s Workforce ActThis 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.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-03-18
- Date Added
- 2026-07-14
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.