The NASA Glenn Research Center, long considered the crown jewel of Northeast Ohio’s scientific community, faces a potentially devastating future under Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts.
“This is a gut punch for Northeast Ohio,” Leila Atassi explained.
Space advocates are calling these proposed cuts “an extinction level event for science, research and education, outreach and hundreds of local economies that are tied to the agency’s work,” according to Atassi.
Major projects like the Orion Spacecraft and the Space Launch System—both of which NASA Glenn has played significant roles in developing—would be canceled entirely.
NASA Glenn has been instrumental in research on aeronautics, space propulsion, communications technology, and energy systems.
With Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts, the NASA Glenn Research Center—long regarded as the scientific gem of Northeast Ohio—faces a potentially disastrous future.
The administration’s proposal would cut NASA’s overall budget by almost 25%, with the Brook Park facility being especially hard hit. Today in Ohio called this Trump’s war on science and intellectual pursuits.
According to Leila Atassi, “this is a gut punch for Northeast Ohio.”. “Just now, the administration or Trump suggested cutting NASA’s budget by almost 25%. This would require some significant budget cuts. More than 550 full-time positions at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park would be eliminated, reducing the workforce from close to 1,400 to just over 800. “”.
Northeast Ohio is just one area of the wider ramifications. NASA’s overall budget would drop from $24 billion this year to $18 billion next year as a result of the cuts. This would be the lowest level since 1961, prior to the Apollo program, which sent humans to the moon, while accounting for inflation.
According to Atassi, space advocates are referring to these proposed cuts as “an extinction level event for science, research and education, outreach, and hundreds of local economies that are tied to the agency’s work.”. There would be a complete cancellation of major projects like the Space Launch System and the Orion Spacecraft, both of which NASA Glenn has contributed significantly to developing.
The proposal is probably “dead on arrival” in Congress, according to experts, but the idea of such drastic cuts alone sends a chilling message about the administration’s priorities. On the podcast, Chris Quinn noted that these cuts seem to fit into a larger trend: “It seems like Donald Trump is against science and intelligence when you look at the last four months since he took office and all of the attacks he’s made in certain areas.”. Harvard University is being savaged by him. After attacking universities one after another, he is now targeting our most important scientific sector. “.”.
At the same time, there is a growing global competition in science and technology. “The brightest scientists are leaving the nation in search of opportunities abroad,” Quinn observed. And every other country in the world wants to accept them and take advantage of our intelligence. “.”.
For many years, Northeast Ohio has sought to establish itself as a center for aerospace innovation. Aeronautics, space propulsion, communications technology, and energy systems research have all benefited greatly from NASA Glenn. In addition to ruining the local economy, the proposed cuts might halt important research in fields where the United States has historically led the world.
According to Atassi, the reasons for the cuts are a combination of a narrow focus and a “lack of foresight and a failure to see down the road”: “All of these cuts are in service of one thing, which is tax cuts for the wealthy.”. Therefore, he doesn’t care about the casualties; he’s just looking for a way to pay for that. “”.
Congressman Max Miller and other local leaders are resisting. Miller has advocated for Glenn’s expansion and even proposed relocating NASA’s headquarters to Ohio.
The future of one of the top scientific institutions in the country, as well as a vital component of Northeast Ohio’s economy and identity, is at stake as Congress starts budget discussions.
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