In an unprecedented act of internal resistance, nearly 300 NASA scientists, engineers, and staff—past and present—have signed a public letter of dissent condemning the Trump administration’s sweeping budget cuts to the agency. The formal protest, dubbed the “Voyager Declaration,” warns that the proposed slashes threaten not just decades of scientific advancement, but the very soul of America’s space exploration program.
The letter, addressed to Sean Duffy—the newly installed acting NASA administrator and Trump’s handpicked Secretary of Transportation—accuses the administration of prioritizing political theatrics over human safety, scientific integrity, and responsible stewardship of public funds.
> “We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement, and efficient use of public resources,” the signatories wrote.
The protest echoes similar letters of resistance recently issued by employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), both of which have also been targeted by Trump’s “Federal Cost-Cutting Initiative.” At the EPA, more than 100 employees who signed a dissent letter were placed on administrative leave.
Inside NASA, fear has become palpable.
> “We’re scared of retaliation,” said Monica Gorman, an operations research analyst at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. “We huddle in the bathroom. We look under the stalls before we speak.”
Gorman, one of the lead organizers of the letter, represents a growing number of NASA staff who say they’d rather risk their jobs than watch the agency be gutted from within. More than half of the 287 signatories chose to remain anonymous out of fear of losing their positions. Still, prominent scientists outside the agency—including 20 Nobel laureates—have publicly endorsed the protest.
The declaration’s name is no accident. It honors the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, which continue to beam back data from the outer edges of our solar system nearly 50 years after their launch. The message: science is long, and sabotage can be permanent.
Trump’s June budget proposal would slash NASA’s science mission directorate by nearly 47%—from $7.3 billion to $3.9 billion. Nineteen active missions, including the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Juno mission to Jupiter, and two carbon observatories, would be scrapped immediately.
While Congress has yet to approve the proposal—offering higher funding levels in their own versions—many inside NASA say top administrators are already behaving as if the cuts are final.
> “One of the messages we’re hearing is: ‘No one is coming to save us,’” one anonymous organizer said.
Gorman’s own department, which evaluates the cost and timelines of projects, has reportedly been told it won’t be funded next year. She says many senior staff have opted to retire early in the hope of saving jobs for younger colleagues.
The fear, she says, is not just over layoffs—but the irreversible loss of expertise.
> “Once senior engineers leave, that knowledge is gone,” Gorman said. “We’re going to suffer that brain drain for decades.”
NASA implemented a formal dissent process following the Challenger and Columbia disasters, after it was revealed engineers’ concerns were ignored. The Voyager Declaration represents the largest known use of that channel since.
Adding to concerns, two Democratic lawmakers—Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Valerie Foushee—have accused NASA leadership of illegally advancing Trump’s cuts without waiting for Congressional appropriations. They warned that such actions violate the law and undermine the constitutional balance of powers.
Despite the turmoil, NASA has not yet issued a formal response to the letter. But for many inside the agency, the stakes are no longer abstract.
> “I’d rather speak out and try to save something,” Gorman said. “But I am scared.”
As political winds shift and budgets hang in the balance, one thing is clear: America’s space agency is not just at a crossroads—it’s in open revolt.
