More than two dozen NASA projects report being affected by the loss of 22% of the agency's civil servant workforce over the last year, according to a Government Accountability Office report released July 23. The study examined 36 major projects in development and found that 25 of them experienced consequences from the departures through deferred retirement programs. The GAO concluded that "the civil servant departures have left NASA's workforce out of balance with NASA's programmatic needs," raising concerns about potential delays and cost increases ahead.
Specific programs took significant hits. Orion lost 10% of its civil servants and faces challenges filling key positions. Space Launch System shed nearly 20% of its civil servant workforce and is now treating workforce losses as a formal program risk. Goddard Space Flight Center was hit hardest across the agency, losing 34% of civil servants, while NASA Headquarters saw the smallest reduction at 11%. The DAVINCI Venus mission lost key personnel and had to revise risk-reduction activities, though it secured funding in the final fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill to restore staffing.
The GAO found that cost and schedule impacts have remained limited so far. Only two programs suffered one-month schedule delays since the previous assessment a year ago, while the IMAP space science mission launched three months early. However, the report identified $478.2 million in net cost overruns concentrated in SLS Block 1B and Orion. NASA's Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer told the GAO that full impacts "have not yet been fully realized across the agency" due to gradual workforce reductions continuing through January 2026. The Psyche asteroid mission provides a cautionary example: staffing shortfalls led to a one-year delay and $132 million in additional costs while also affecting the VERITAS Venus orbiter under development.
NASA has begun addressing the shortfall. Administrator Jared Isaacman announced plans in February to hire new civil servants, primarily by converting contractors, and launched "NASA Force," a temporary assignment program with the Office of Personnel Management. The agency planned to clarify its workforce strategy in late spring, though no public updates have emerged. Uncertainty remains over fiscal year 2027 funding, as the administration proposed major cuts while a House bill would largely restore them and Senate appropriators have not advanced their own bill.