Residents of a southern city known for its rocket programs are bracing for the impacts of Donald Trump’s executive order to cut the federal workforce.
An estimated 21,000 federal employees work in Huntsville, Alabama, many of whom have jobs at the Redstone Arsenal military base – which is also home to FBI offices and the Marshall Flight Center, WAFF reports.
Some residents said they have already received so-called ‘Fork in the Road’ resignation emails, which offered government employees a buyout through September 30 if they agreed to quit. Others said they were forced to return to their offices after Trump axed work-from-home opportunities.
Then on Thursday, thousands of probationary workers across the United States were laid off, and now, many in the city are worried about the effects of an executive order Trump signed Tuesday, the Huntsville Times reports.
The president’s written directive asks federal agencies to prepare for ‘large scale reductions in force,’ stating that any government functions not required by law would be prioritized for cuts and hiring will be restricted.
With exceptions for functions such as public safety, only one employee can be added for every four that leave. In addition, new hires would generally need the approval from a representative of the DOGE, expanding the influence of Elon Musk´s team.
That could apply to most of the 7,000 employees at the Marshall Space Flight Center, which is now leading the development of NASA’s Space Launch System rockets as part of the agency’s efforts to bring astronauts back to the moon, according to the New York Times.
But under a continuity plan NASA submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in 2023, over 92 percent of the space agency’s employees would be considered nonessential next time a government shutdown were to occur.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to prepare for ‘large scale reductions in force,’ stating that any government functions not required by law would be prioritized for cuts
Many in Huntsville, Alabama are now bracing for the impact of that decision
Adding to the concerns are ‘First Buddy’ Musk’s criticisms of the Space Launch System project, which he has previously said is outdated.
The SpaceX founder also previously declared that the thinking behind the rockets makes him ‘sad’ as the project remains years behind schedule and way over budget.
It is now estimated that each launch could cost up to $4billion – and the rockets cannot be reused, according to Reuters.
In light of the threat, would-be homeowners have backtracked from their plans to buy a house in the city because they are worried about their job security, real estate agent Terrence Harris told the Times.
‘These extreme swings at federal jobs, it really does affect people’s buying confidence,’ he explained.
‘It affects what kind of investor comes to this city, how much they are willing to invest.’
Former Congressman Parker Griffith also warned that it could harm the local economy.
Their concerns seem to be tied to past experience, after more than 1,000 jobs were lost when Constellation – a program to return astronauts to the moon – was shut down in 2010.
Trump’s order could apply to many of the Marshall Flight Center’s 7,000 employees
It is leading the development of NASA ‘s Space Launch System rockets as part of the agency’s efforts to bring astronauts back to the moon
‘They remember Constellation and the shuttle program coming to an end,’ Steve Cash, who ran NASA’s shuttle propulsion program and held other jobs at the Space Center before retiring in 2016, said of the city’s space industry workers.
‘Fear of the unknown is the worst thing.’
There are also concerns that Trump’s cuts would not just affect those in the aerospace industry, as his plans to cut $4billion in federal funding for research at universities, cancer centers and hospitals could affect programs at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Now, some are holding on to hope that Trump visits the home of the nation’s Space Command in Huntsville and reverses some of his decisions.
But the cuts are not likely to affect the FBI and ATF agents in the city, who are considered exempted from furlough in the case of a government shutdown.
Adding to the concerns are ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk’s criticisms of the Space Launch System project, which he has previously called outdated.
As a result, some city leaders say the concerns are unwarranted.
‘It’s very normal to be anxious in these times because they just don’t know,’ Mayor Tommy Battle, a Republican, said of the city’s federal workers.
But he added, ‘We’ve got a pretty good portfolio and it’s diverse. And it’s diverse enough that if one goes down, another area goes up.’
Jake Griffin, a government contracting consultant, added that the ‘defense budget is probably not going to shrink’ under Trump ‘so overall, I don’t think we’re going to see a true economic downturn any times soon in Huntsville.’
In fact, he said, if the Trump administration ‘reallocates some of those wasted dollars to the defense budget, I do think that Huntsville has the chance to boom even more again.’