Trump Ends NASA Union Rights, Pushes Commercial Space Reforms

The White House has moved to limit collective bargaining rights for federal employees at NASA and other agencies, citing national security concerns. On Aug. 28, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order adding NASA and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) within NOAA to a list of agencies exempted from protections under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

According to the administration, these agencies’ work qualifies for a national security exemption. “NASA develops and operates advanced air and space technologies—including satellite, communications, and propulsion systems—that are critical to US national security,” the White House stated. The order grants the president authority to exempt entire agencies or subdivisions if compliance with the act would conflict with national security needs.

Union leaders criticized the move sharply. “This executive order seeks to deny bargaining rights at NASA under a spurious national security rationale, despite longstanding unions and bargaining protections dating back to the 1960s,” said Matt Biggs, President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). Gay Henson, IFPTE secretary-treasurer, added, “The order undermines our members’ contributions to groundbreaking NASA missions that deliver significant scientific and aeronautical advances.”

About 53% of NASA’s civil servants are unionized under IFPTE and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The workforce has declined roughly 20% due to buyouts and retirements. IFPTE is considering expanding its ongoing legal challenge against prior federal orders that limited employee protections to include NASA.

Separately, the administration issued an executive order to boost US commercial space competitiveness. It directs agencies to streamline licensing, permitting, and regulatory oversight, reforms environmental review processes for launches, and aligns state and federal approvals for spaceport infrastructure. The order also establishes new leadership roles, elevates the Office of Space Commerce, and tasks the Secretary of Commerce with creating a streamlined approval process for novel space activities under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.