Let’s set the record straight here, since this OPINION story circulating doesn’t get the facts right. CLAIM: DOGE fired NASA employees and eliminated positions. TRUTH: DOGE didn’t fire a single employee at NASA. A total of 23 positions were RIF’ed following an executive order in February eliminating DEI and other positions. All other departures from the agency last year were voluntary. CLAIM: The Trump Admin is “talking a big game” about beating China to the Moon. TRUTH: The Trump Administration created the Artemis Program. The Artemis Accords that over 60 nations have signed. President Trump created the Space Force. And, President Trump enacted the Space Policy that will finally, after 35 years, return Astronauts to the lunar environment and begin construction of a Moon Base. CLAIM: NASA can’t intelligently work with industry without a chief economist. TRUTH: Pretty much every OIG report at NASA on commercial programs being behind schedule, over budget or outright cancelled was written during a time of a Chief Economist. Industry responds to common sense decisions, just look at the recent Artemis architecture update and the widespread, unanimous support from all the contractors. Not to mention the fact that the one person has funded the majority of commercial spaceflight to orbit is the current @NASAAdmin. There are currently more than 6 commercial companies looking to NASA to build a single space-station-as-a-service. It would appear that NASA is not the entity that requires an economist. CLAIM: DOGE was on a firing spree. TRUTH: Again, DOGE did not fire a SINGLE employee, let alone thousands. CLAIM: NASA’s being run on vibes alone. TRUTH: NASA is making common sense decisions to focus resources on the most pressing objectives in line with President Trump’s National Space Policy. The only thing running on vibes alone is this piece.
