According to the report, NASA is considering removing Washington, D.C., headquarters as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal government.
The move will impact employment of up to 2,500 people in the space agency and could potentially redistribute operations to NASA’s 10 field centers, Politico reported Friday, citing two sources familiar with the issue.
“The leases for NASA headquarters buildings have increased in 2028, and agents are considering the option to lease another facility in the Washington, D.C. area,” a NASA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “NASA has no plans to build a new headquarters. In accordance with an executive order signed on January 20th, NASA employees, including the NASA headquarters, have returned to full-time on-site work by February 28th.”
It also comes after the administration recently moved around 20 people from DC headquarters, including its chief scientist, according to the New York Times.
Experts reveal how long it will take NASA astronauts to recover after being left behind in space
According to the report, NASA is considering removing Washington, D.C., headquarters as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal government. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Congress members proposed earlier this year that NASA headquarters would be moved to Florida. In Florida, there is the Kennedy Space Center.
“This is a simple thing for @Doge,” Florida Gov. Ron Desantis said of moving NASA’s headquarters there. “The federal government is currently planning to build a new, expensive headquarters for NASA’s DC.
SpaceX will send spacecraft to Mars next year, Elon Musk will check
“To optimize our workforce and optimize our executive order, NASA is launching a step-by-step approach to power reduction known as RIF,” said NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner, according to the New York Times. “A small number of individuals received notifications on Monday. They are part of NASA’s RIF.”
Much of NASA’s daily work takes place in 10 field centers in eight states, but Washington headquarters is connecting it more to Congress and the federal government.
One proposal suggests moving NASA headquarters to Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In addition to limiting influence within Washington, the absence of DC headquarters makes coordination with international partners on issues such as the International Space Station more difficult.
Click here to get the Fox News app
NASA’s 10 field centers include Ames Research Center, Armstrong Fly Research Center, California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Glenn Research Center, Ohio, Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, Johnson Space Center, Texas, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Langley Space Center, Virginia, Marshall Space Center, Alabama,
Source link
