Keith’s note: NASA is required to submit their Phase 2 RIF plan aka “ARRP” to OMB and OPM today. So … Janet Petro and senior NASA leadership know what the basic plan is. How many others in agency management (e.g. Center Directors) know is not clear. Now it’s up to the White House to drop the axe. According to Guidance on Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans Requested by Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative: “Phase 2 ARRPs [Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans] Agencies should then submit a Phase 2 ARRP to OMB and OPM for review and approval no later than April 14, 2025. Phase 2 plans shall outline a positive vision for more productive, efficient agency operations going forward. Phase 2 plans should be planned for implementation by September 30, 2025. The Phase 2 plan should include the following additional information:” [more below]

Keith’s note: the following was posted on LinkedIn by Mamta Patel Nagaraja, who was NASA Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research – until that office was closed last month and everyone was laid off. Her words remind me of the time when I decided to leave NASA. But the image – as they say – speaks a thousand words. It stopped me in my tracks. I asked if I could post this and she said “Yes, of course”. FWIW Speaking from experience you can leave NASA – but it never leaves you.

• “I said goodbye to the OG yesterday. I’d love to tell you that I held my head high, but I have never painted a rosy picture online that wasn’t actually rosy. Yesterday was sad. Angering. Relieving, dare I say- after all, I left a toxic atmosphere. Emotionally perplexing indeed. But overall, sad. I always imagined a happy exit from NASA, either retiring or choosing to leave for bigger opportunities. Alas, as I promised you, I’ve dreamed again and you’ve helped. In countless ways. I’m thinking about creating my own company, I’ve got a few startups who want to chat, a prospect where I could help prevent another pandemic, and maybe even a chance to inspire young kids to explore the unknown. And I’ve only been a free agent for one day! Things are looking up – I’ll update you soon on which path I travel next. And if I haven’t responded to your message yet, I will. I just needed to get through my last 30 days at NASA. To new beginnings!“

Keith’s note: Amidst the ever present fear of being fired (without any real details), having budgets cut and missions cancelled, Janet Petro wants your ideas on how to improve NASA. And you only have one week to submit them. And just like the “Five Things What I Did Last Week” thing, memo there are 5 questions. FYI when I go to https://forms.office.com/g/opuPtHnrRg I get a 404 – that may be because I am outside the firewall. But based on input from inside NASA the link does work. Embrace the challenge y’all. Janet’s memo – and the questionnaire form located online inside the firewall below:

Keith’s note: There is no mention in these news stories about NASA offering a new round of buyouts or whether they are considering them. You might ask your management – to ask their management etc. etc.

• New Buyout Offers on the Table for Federal Employees, Fedsmith: “Some agencies have made new buyout offers to their employees to voluntarily reduce the size of their workforces before widespread RIFs begin.”
• Federal Workers Get Second Musk Buyout Offer , Yahoo: “Federal workers at a number of agencies — including the Defense, Transportation, Agriculture and Energy departments — are getting a second chance to accept a buyout offer, the latest effort to downsize the US government spearheaded by Elon Musk.”
• Federal agencies launch second — and likely final — offer to leave, Politico: “This week, at least seven agencies, including the departments of Defense, Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, as well as the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration, are making a new round of offers for workers to leave their jobs, using the same Deferred Resignation Program that prompted more than 77,000 federal employees to voluntarily leave earlier this year.”

Keith’s note: In opening Space Science Week at the National Academy, Rep. Mike Haridopolos (FL-08) just said that President Trump “has spared NASA from the large budget and personnel cuts” due to the importance of Artemis and “The only people who left are those who took the buyout.” People at NASA have already been fired and looming budget cuts will gut NASA science. Someone needs to brief the Congressman about the facts on the ground. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: OPM has posted an immense amount of new RIF Information. The have issued a 119 page Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook. A one page overview outlines the information and how a RIF will be constructed “When an agency must abolish positions due to reorganization, shortage of funds, or lack of work, the RIF regulations establish procedures for determining how employees are released and whether an employee has retention rights to a different position. The regulatory requirements governing RIF, which Federal agencies must adhere to, are contained in Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 351. RIF Procedures There are six phases to implementing a RIF. The actual timing of the process may vary based on agency-specific requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and workforce considerations. Specific operational procedures are found in the Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook | OPM.”

Keith’s note: According to “Internal White House document details layoff plans across U.S. agencies“ from the Washington Post: “The document obtained by The Post was last updated Tuesday. Trump instructed the Office of Management and Budget in a Feb. 11 executive order to work with U.S. DOGE Service and Musk to shrink the workforce. Agency heads’ blueprints for meeting this goal were due to the budget office and the government’s human resources arm, the Office of Personnel Management, earlier this month. Plans for reorganization and further staff reductions are due by mid-April. The document shows reductions of 8 percent at the Justice Department, 28 percent at the National Science Foundation, 30 percent at the Commerce Department and 43 percent at the Small Business Administration, among others.” (AI Image)

Keith’s note: This is a note from NASA MSFC Center Director Joseph Pelfrey sent out via Teams this morning. In this morning’s Office Hours meeting he indicated to attendees – multiple times – that information about the ARRP (NASA RIF Plan) was “embargoed by the White House”. Full memo below.

Keith’s note: this email “Latest on Executive Orders, Etc.” was sent to the NASA Armstrong workforce by Center Director Brad Flick on 24 March 2025 . Of all the NASA center directors, this guy sees to be among the few who understand the notion of transparency and respect for his workforce by telling them all that he can tell them. Kudos. Full memo below.

Keith’s note: the following was sent to NASA Employees today: “This week, Crew-9 returned safely to Earth, with Butch, Suni, Nick, and Aleksandr splashing down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida late Tuesday afternoon. I want to commend our teams for their outstanding work in ensuring a smooth return and for executing a seamless handover with Crew-10 aboard the International Space Station this weekend. Our crews and all of us on the ground really embraced the challenge from President Trump of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan to bring our crew home early – navigating it with professionalism, skill, and dedication. It was a spectacular liftoff for Anne, Nicole, Takuya, and Kirill, and a very clean countdown leading to their arrival at the space station on Saturday. I’m looking forward to the vital science investigations and technology demonstrations they’ll conduct during their stay.