Is NASA Going To Push Back – And If So Against What?
Growing wave of federal workers is pushing back against Trump, Washington Post
“Presidents appoint the heads of agencies and a few officials at the top of each department, but the great majority of those who implement any administration’s agenda are civil servants who enjoy legal protections meant to encourage them to blow the whistle on fraud and corruption. Short of formal whistleblowing, workers are finding small ways to express their opposition. At the Justice Department, some career civil servants asked their bosses whether they were allowed to protest their new president by marching or contacting a member of Congress. The answer was yes, if they did so on their own time and in their personal capacity. The day after the November election, the department’s ethics office said workers could wear clothing that contained a political message. One lawyer who had worn a Hillary Clinton T-shirt beneath another layer of clothing said that once the advice was issued, “I took the layer off.” In the past few days, protest accounts have popped up on social media from employees at several agencies.”
I suppose they could try and resist attacks on the Earth Science research, but other than that I’m not sure what they could do. NASA stuff just doesn’t have partisan implications aside from maybe whether or not Commercial Crew funding should be increased.
Despite how it might appear sometimes here, there are NASA employees that care very much about things that have nothing at all to do with NASA, space, or anything to do with either.
I like your username. I also agree with your sentiment. NASA as an official organization has to do what it is told by House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson and other key government officials or they will simply cancel its appropriations. Some individuals associated with NASA do speak out, and courageously so, but they do so more or less as individuals, even if their association with NASA is common knowledge.
NASA will not push back. NASA never pushes back, even against ridiculous decisions.
I wonder about that. We aren’t privy to the staff conversations, for instance; we don’t see the argument much only the decision. It’s very hard to imagine the folks at NASA not taking a stand internally.
NASA’s budget is discretionary and exists because of the will of the people. The agency continues to exists because of the value it bring to the US and its future lies in continuing if not increasing this return of the American tax dollars it receives. I think this idea has gotten lost and the agency should let the science and accomplishments speak for themselves and hopefully we will have leadership from the new administration that serves this interest.
These folks that are pushing back in other agencies are simply putting their jobs on the line and if they are truly wanted to send a message should resign en masse. Civil Servants should not be playing politics, if they feel in good conscience they can’t serve..Their is the door..Good bye.
How does NASA, or any other science-based agency, “let the science and accomplishments speak for themselves” when political appointees are chosen to lead those agencies ignore and deny the science or hold anti-science beliefs? Under those circumstances it seems to me that the civil servants have the moral obligation and patriotic duty to speak truth to power lest those agencies become cesspools of anti-science propaganda.
Aren’t you the self righteous one. What you promote is more of the same crap and ideas that got Trump elected. NASA exists because of the American people’s desire not some sanctimonious self absorbed political view.
Yes, they are risking dismissal not to mention they are also risking violating of the Hatch Act which prohibits them from engaging in political activity while on duty, at the workplace using government property. I suspect if things keep up lawyers expert in the Hatch Act will be in big demand in numerous court cases involving violations of it.
I’m sure the lawyers will have fun with it, but I believe the Hatch Act only applies to activities conducted while at work or using government resources. Civil servants are free to “push back” on their own time.
The CEOs of major U.S. corporations are pushing back against Trump’s immigration order. They see it as impeding their operations, with good reason in my opinion.
Tech Companies Fight Trump Immigration Order in Court (New York Times)
I expect that NASA also has employees who come from some of the seven countries on the list, and that they also collaborate with scientists born in those countries. Thus NASA too will be affected. They should ask the Congress to modify the ban.
I’ve long been supportive of whistleblowing. However, I’d advise holding off on protests until things settle down and the “lay of the land”, so to speak, becomes clearer. Whistleblowers have too little protection as it is.
Ironic but the new President will find big business his biggest resistance. Money has momentum; lots of money is basically unstoppable.
Side question: How did you include the Hyperlink in the text?
It just takes a little bit of HTML. Embed the hyperlink and its title in an A HREF tag. Here’s how it should look when you type it:
<A HREF=”http://www.site-address.com“>Article Title</A>
Obviously the address could end in “org” or “edu” or several other options.
Not surprising the tech industry is pushing back as they have built their businesses on keeping tech labor costs low using visa labor. It is also a workforce that is too fearful to complain about conditions at work. It’s one of the dirty secrets of Silicon Valley that is ignored.
FYI
http://www.gadgetsnow.com/j…
“”It’s a harsh world for the H-1B, like bonded labour. While there’s a whole industry built on telling you how to score this visa, no one tells you what comes after,” says Vikram Desai, vice-president of Immigration Voice, an advocacy group set up by Indian tech workers to campaign for equal rights for high-skilled immigrants in the US. “
Perhaps if President Trump ends the practice the rise in wages, and improved working conditions, will spark more interest in STEM fields by students.
Or the high tech companies in question will move some of their workforce to Vancouver.
Yes, just as some of the southern plantation owners relocated their plantations to Brazil after slavery was ended in the United States. Slavery lasted there until 1888.
Of course if President Trump gives in an doubles the number of tech visas as they requested I am sure their attitudes will change quickly towards him 🙂
I’m sure that’s part of it. But don’t assume that all the employees Google and the other tech companies are concerned about are H-1Bs. Some of them could be Iranian-born permanent residents who are caught up in Trump’s ban.