--- title: "NASA Insiders Say They’re Now Under “Constant Attack” by Trump’s White House" description: "Workers at NASA's Goddard Space Center describe a \"campaign of destruction\" being carried out by the Trump Administration." date: "2025-11-13" modified: "2025-11-13" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/space/nasa-goddard-trump-attack" categories: - "Astronomy" - "NASA" - "Space" --- # NASA Insiders Say They’re Now Under “Constant Attack” by Trump’s White House ![Workers at NASA's Goddard Space Center describe a "campaign of destruction" being carried out by the Trump Administration.]() *Saul Martinez / Getty Images* For decades, NASA's Goddard Space Center has been one of the preeminent institutions specializing in growing humanity's understanding of space. Sadly, those days might be far behind it, as the Trump administration grows increasingly belligerent in its attempts to force [draconian cuts]() to NASA's operating budget — a campaign that's already included [building closures](), [mass layoffs](), and [junking specialized scientific equipment](). Now, a [new *NPR* investigation]() shows that for NASA employees still going about their daily work, the White House's daily efforts are going much farther, devolving into what staffers describe as a "campaign of destruction" from the "highest levels." Casey McGrath, a NASA astrophysicist, said that after the Trump administration cut Goddard center staff by nearly half, new figureheads were shuffled in, who immediately set about destroying NASA's working culture. "We haven't had a real moment of reprieve because it feels like we're constantly being attacked pretty much on every front that we can think of," McGrath told *NPR*. He described a work environment punctuated by information blackouts, random personnel changes, labs and equipment being moved without notice, and errant building closures, all of which makes "little sense" for the work typically done at Goddard. "They've even put chains and locks on the doors to prevent anyone from even entering the building at this point," McGrath said. A research analyst named Monica Gorman told *NPR* she's worried the administration is trying to paralyze the entire Goddard campus. "If they do that, there are science and engineering capabilities that the United States, as a whole, is going to lose," Gorman told the broadcaster. "And it would cost, I don't even know how many millions and millions of dollars and a really long time if we ever decided we wanted to bring that back." One example *NPR* highlights is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST), which would feature imaging cameras 100 times larger than those currently on the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched in 1990. According to workers interviewed, many of the engineers working on the RST have been randomly reassigned or simply ousted in the middle of the job. Some, running specialty labs for the RST, had been forced to randomly upend their workshop and move to a different location, slowing work and compromising equipment. All in all, it's a sad time for NASA, which has historically been one of the [most popular government agencies](). With over three years remaining in Trump's second term, it feels like salvaging the agency could take years — or decades — after he's gone. **More on NASA:** *[White House Mocks NASA Commitment to Sending Women and Minorities to Moon… Which Was Made by the First Trump Administration]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()