Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Congresswoman Chu Condemns JPL Layoffs, Warns of Impact on Pasadena Workforce and U.S. Space Leadership

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced Monday it will lay off 550 employees, approximately 11% of its workforce, marking the third round of staff reductions at the Pasadena-based NASA center in two years.

JPL, which is administered by the California Institute of Technology, did not immediately release details about which departments or missions would be affected. The announcement was made in a public statement issued by the lab.

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents California’s 28th Congressional District including Pasadena, issued a statement calling the layoffs “an absolute tragedy” and expressing concern for the local impact.

“My thoughts are with all the impacted workers and their families,” Chu said. “These layoffs are an absolute tragedy, especially as they come at a time when our community is still recovering from the Eaton Fire that destroyed thousands of homes and disrupted so many lives and livelihoods just nine months ago.”

Chu’s statement emphasized that the latest round follows two previous waves of layoffs last year that affected more than 850 JPL employees. She warned that the cumulative loss of scientific talent could jeopardize the future of U.S. space exploration.

“Taken together with last year’s layoffs, this will result in an untold loss of scientific knowledge and expertise that threatens the very future of American leadership in space exploration and scientific discovery,” she said.

Chu said she has repeatedly led efforts in Congress to secure funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and protect missions led by JPL, including Mars Sample Return. As Co-Chair of the Planetary Science Caucus, she has submitted bipartisan appropriations requests and urged congressional appropriators to include language in short-term federal funding bills that would shield NASA’s budget from cuts.

“I will continue working tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress of both parties and will never stop fighting to protect our nation’s space program and the expert workforce that makes it all possible,” Chu said.

JPL is one of Pasadena’s largest employers and a key contributor to the city’s scientific and civic identity.