It comes less than a day after Donald Trump's administration laid off federal employees in diversity roles. Equality And inclusivity NASA acted swiftly on executive order by ending its diversity program.
Janet Petro, Acting Administrator of NASA, sent record to agency employees on Wednesday afternoon. It ordered them to close offices related to diversity. Equality inclusivity and access (DEIA) at the agency and cancel related contracts. The decision comes amid NASA's efforts to increase workforce diversity. and put the first woman and first person of color on the moon.
In 2023, NASA has name As one of America's best employees for diversity, NASA began participating in DEIA efforts in 2012, adding inclusion as a core value in 2020. By 2021, NASA's workforce is comprised of approximately 35% women. and minorities 30% according to data report At NASA's Office of the Inspector General, one year later NASA Announces First Capital Action Plan in an effort to address lingering diversity and access issues. and giving importance to underprivileged communities
However, Petro's record reflects a rollback of the agency's diversity program. “These programs divide Americans along racial lines. Waste of taxpayers' money. and has resulted in shameful discrimination,” the memo states. Website for NASA's Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity It now shows a “404 Not Found” error message.
The memo emphasizes that the process of closing NASA's DEIA office was in accordance with Trump's executive order. This is followed by a template written by the Human Resources Office to be forwarded to employees.
NASA's email also included a warning about violating the new directive. It said employees at the space agency tried to conceal contracts under a variety of programs. “We are aware of attempts by some governments to disguise these programs using coded or unclear language,” Petro’s memo reads. “If you are aware of any changes to contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions since November 5, 2024 to obscure the contract's connection to DEIA or similar ideology. Please report all facts and circumstances.”
NASA isn't the only federal agency affected by the new executive order. Other agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health It was also forced to end its diversity program. Diversity and inclusion efforts at agencies like NASA are especially important given the lack of diversity in the field.
It wasn't until 1978 that NASA selected its first diverse group of astronauts. which eventually included the first African American and first Asian American astronauts. Including the first woman This problem goes beyond NASA. Black and Latino students tend to drop out of STEM programs at much higher rates than white students. About 40% of black and 37% of Latino STEM students change their major. Bachelor's degree That compares to 29% of white STEM students. According to a 2019 study–
Although NASA has landed a variety of groups on the lunar surface, But efforts to be more inclusive of the world should not be overlooked.