Up To 200 To Be Laid Off At NASA's JPL
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE (CBS) — Layoffs that have begun at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory may leave as many as 200 scientists, engineers and other workers out of a job.
Tighter federal spending is blamed for the layoffs, for which notices started going out two weeks ago and will continue through the end of March, JPL spokeswoman Veronica McGregor told the Glendale News-Press.
Workers who face the chopping block are probably those associated with projects that have been delayed because of budget concerns and those who are part of missions nearing their end, McGregor said.
President Obama has asked Congress to freeze NASA's 2012 budget at the 2010 level of $18.7 billion, which would cut space operations by 29 percent. A 2011 budget for NASA has not yet been approved.
