The Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to lay off over 2,000 high-ranking NASA employees—many with specialized skills or leadership roles—as part of a broader effort to shrink the federal workforce. The cuts would likely happen through early retirements, buyouts, and deferred resignations, according to leaked documents.

Editor’s Note: If this goes through, it could seriously disrupt NASA’s operations, especially since many of these employees hold critical expertise. Given NASA’s role in everything from space exploration to climate research, losing a chunk of its workforce might slow down major projects and weaken the agency’s long-term capabilities. It’s also another sign of how aggressively this administration wants to trim federal staffing—regardless of the potential consequences.