A brewing controversy over NASA’s activities at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland has escalated dramatically, drawing sharp criticism from a powerful House committee and demanding a full-scale investigation. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, is accusing NASA of acting illegally and dangerously by dismantling laboratories and offices during the ongoing government shutdown, citing a potentially “severe and lasting” impact on crucial scientific research.
Lofgren’s forceful letter to Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy sets a 24-hour deadline for halting all lab closures and workspace relocations at Goddard. She demands immediate cessation of these actions until Congress and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) can conduct thorough oversight. The request comes after Space.com published an investigation revealing that NASA, despite the shutdown impacting nearly 15,000 employees nationwide, was selectively granting “excepted” status to certain Goddard personnel tasked with packing up labs and offices slated for closure.
This initiative appears connected to a broader 20-year “Master Plan” aimed at renovating, demolishing, and reconstructing facilities at Goddard through 2037. However, Lofgren argues that the current pace of these activities during a shutdown constitutes an alarming acceleration of this plan without proper Congressional approval or justification.
Lab Evacuations Spark Alarm
Compounding concerns, Space.com’s reporting highlights the rapid demolition schedule impacting key research facilities. A mission-critical laboratory supporting NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope—a successor to Hubble and James Webb set to revolutionize astronomical observations—was given just four days to vacate its space. Scientists fear that millions of dollars worth of equipment could be abandoned within shuttered labs.
“This all must end now,” the Representative’s letter states plainly.
Lofgren explicitly rejects NASA’s attempts to downplay these actions as mere “implementation of the Master Plan,” decrying their failure to disclose crucial details about accelerated evictions and expanded scope during a November 4th briefing. She criticizes this lack of transparency, stating that it occurred amidst a government shutdown while potentially damaging scientific capabilities with sweeping reorganizations under the guise of budget alignment with President Trump’s 2026 fiscal proposal.
Oversight Intensifies
The House Committee’s intervention marks a significant escalation in scrutiny of NASA’s internal restructuring. This action complements a September Senate report, “The Destruction of NASA’s Mission,” which similarly condemned these moves as illegal preemptive measures aimed at adhering to the President’s budget blueprint before its approval by Congress.
In addition to demanding immediate cessation of lab closures and relocations, Lofgren has requested a full accounting from NASA within seven days detailing all damages inflicted on Goddard thus far. She emphasizes that both the House Science Committee and the Office of Inspector General will rigorously review these findings, signaling an intent for robust congressional oversight. The situation underlines the growing tension between executive branch actions and legislative oversight regarding NASA’s future direction during a period marked by political uncertainty and funding anxieties.
