Less than a day after Donald Trump’s administration fired federal employees who worked on diversity, equality and inclusion, NASA has rushed to comply with the executive order by ending its diversity program.
Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro sent a memo to agency employees on Wednesday afternoon, instructing them to close offices related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) at the agency and cancel related contracts. The decision comes amid NASA’s efforts to increase the diversity of its workforce and land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.
In 2023, NASA was recognized as one of the best companies in the United States for diversity. NASA began joining DEIA’s efforts in 2012, adding inclusivity as a core value in 2020. According to a report by the NASA Office of Inspector General, by 2021, NASA’s workforce was approximately 35% women and 30% minorities. A year later, NASA announced its first-ever equity action plan to try to address long-standing diversity and accessibility issues, as well as the needs of underrepresented communities.
However, in the memo, Petro talks about scrapping the agency’s diversity programs. “These programs divided Americans along racial lines, wasted taxpayer money, and resulted in shameful discrimination,” the memo says. Currently, the website of the NASA Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity displays a 404 Not Found error message.
The memo emphasized that the steps to close NASA’s DEIA offices are being taken in accordance with Trump’s executive orders, which were accompanied by a template formulated by the Office of Personnel Management to be forwarded to employees.
NASA’s email also warned against violating the new order, suggesting that space agency employees were trying to hide contracts awarded under its diversity programs. “We are aware of attempts by some government officials to disguise these programs by using cryptic or inaccurate language,” Petro said in the memo. “If you are aware of a change in any contract description or job description since November 5, 2024, to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances.”
NASA is not the only federal agency affected by the new executive orders; other agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, are also being forced to suspend their diversity programs. Efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at institutions such as NASA are crucial given the lack of diversity in the field.
It was not until 1978 that NASA selected its first diverse class of astronauts, a group that finally included the first African Americans, the first Asian American astronauts, and the first women. This issue goes beyond just NASA. Black and Latino students tend to drop out of STEM programs at a much higher rate than their white counterparts. According to a 2019 study, about 40% of black and 37% of Latino STEM students changed majors while in college, compared to 29% of white STEM students.
