Local business leaders urge Congress not to cut 554 jobs at NASA Glenn
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Local business leaders urge Congress not to cut 554 jobs at NASA Glenn
NASA Glenn currently employs about 1,400 civil servants. The proposal calls for trimming that number to 837. Glenn’s aeronautics program would be just about cut in half, from 399 employees to 182. The only NASA facility hit harder than Glenn in this budget proposal in terms of staffing would be the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, which would see a 40% cut in staffing. In total, the proposed budget sees NASA’s staffing going from 16,529 to 11,853, according to NASA’s acting administrator. The budget proposal does not mention any plans about moving headquarters when its lease is up in 2028, and we’re told no decision on that has been made. The White House’s proposed budget for NASA Glenn and the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky calls for cutting about 554 jobs over the next year, News 5 reported last month. It is not yet known if NASA will relocate its headquarters to Northeast Ohio and the Glenn Research Center. It’s not known whether NASA will move its headquarters and 1,700 employees to the Buckeye State.
Last month, News 5 broke the news that the White House’s proposed budget for Northeast Ohio’s NASA Glenn Research Center and the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky calls for cutting about 554 jobs over the next year.
White House budget proposes cutting 554 NASA Glenn jobs
RELATED: White House budget proposes cutting 554 NASA
Glenn jobs
When compared to last year’s budget, that amounts to a 38% cut of all federal NASA civil servants in the area.
NASA Glenn currently employs about 1,400 civil servants. The proposal calls for trimming that number to 837.
Lawmakers are scheduled to begin reviewing that budget proposal on Thursday.
Read the budget by clicking here.
The budget shows Glenn’s aeronautics program would be just about cut in half, from 399 employees to 182.
News 5 has highlighted Glenn’s aeronautics division over the years, from a push to bring back commercial supersonic flight over the continental United States to helping map out a highway in the sky as more drones and self-driving aircraft enter the airspace.
“NASA Glenn has long been a crown jewel in Greater Cleveland’s innovation ecosystem,” Baiju R. Shah, president & CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership, said in a statement released Wednesday morning. “This is a moment for bold action from Ohio’s bipartisan Congressional delegation, state officials and local leaders, to protect and grow the center, not dismantle it. We should be doubling down on innovation leadership at NASA and NASA Glenn.”
NASA A model of the X-59 undergoes testing inside the wind tunnel facility at NASA Glenn Research Center as part of efforts to bring back commercial supersonic flight.
The only NASA facility hit harder than Glenn in this budget proposal in terms of staffing would be the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, which would see a 40% cut in staffing. In total, the proposed budget sees NASA’s staffing going from 16,529 to 11,853.
“Shrinking NASA Glenn’s capacity ripples through our business community, impacts our talent pipelines and STEM careers, reduces our competitiveness and threatens America’s economic leadership and national security,” Matt Dolan, CEO of TeamNEO, said in a statement. “We must champion NASA Glenn and NASA and also continue our efforts to bring more of NASA here.”
In an interview with News 5’s John Kosich last month, Sen. Bernie Moreno said that the budget put forth by the Senate will be more favorable to NASA Glenn.
“We have amazing resources at NASA Glenn, and we’re going to beef up those resources,” Sen. Moreno said. “We’re going to add functionality to NASA Glenn. It’s been a center that’s been around even before NASA was created, and we’re going to make certain it has got a long thriving future.”
Earlier this year, local politicians made their pitch for NASA to relocate its headquarters and 1,700 employees to Northeast Ohio and the Glenn Research Center:
Ohio leaders rally to relocate NASA’s headquarters to the Buckeye State
“If the federal government and President Trump is serious about cutting the cost of waste, fraud and abuse and how to relocate other departments and agencies throughout the rest of the country, there’s no better spot than Cleveland, Ohio,” Rep. Max Miller said at an event on April 23.
“We want NASA to grow here,” Gov. Mike DeWine said at that same event in April.
This budget proposal does not mention any plans about moving headquarters when its lease is up in Washington, D.C., in 2028, and we’re told no decision on that has been made.
A spokesperson at NASA’s headquarters previously told News 5 that this budget is not finalized. However, Janet Petro, NASA’s acting administrator, did say the following about the budget: “We must continue to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. That means making strategic decisions – including scaling back or discontinuing ineffective efforts not aligned with our moon and mars exploration priorities.”
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard , on Facebook Clay LePard News 5 or email him at Clay.LePard@WEWS.com .
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