Trump Executive Order Declares NASA Is Now a Spy Agency

"The Trump administration issued an executive order late last month, quietly declaring that NASA will operate as a national intelligence and security agency going forward. The order stipulates that the agency will now "have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work." It's a major departure for the agency, which has historically focused on space exploration, as well as space and Earth sciences over its 67-year lifespan."

"There are signs that Trump's intentions behind the order were at least partially related to labor concerns, rather than spycraft. The order also added NASA to the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS), excluding it from collective bargaining representation. The news that NASA will now be a spy agency was seemingly overshadowed in the media by the president's elimination of union rights for thousands of federal employees - mere days before Labor Day - despite multiple lawsuits challenging the change."

"The move sparked a protest outside of NASA's Washington, DC, headquarters earlier this week. "A huge part of the reason that I have that independence, and that my colleagues do, is that as a union-represented worker I know that I am protected from unfair retaliation," Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association area vice president Monica Gorman told the crowd, as quoted by Government Executive."

The Trump administration reclassified NASA to operate as a national intelligence and security agency, making intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, and national security work a primary function. The shift departs from NASA's 67-year focus on space exploration and space and Earth sciences. The executive order added NASA to the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, excluding the agency from collective bargaining representation. Media coverage emphasized the elimination of union rights for thousands of federal employees amid legal challenges. The change in status will affect other agencies, including the International Trade Administration and the National Weather Service. The reclassification provoked protests and raised concerns about budget cuts and worker protections.

Read at Futurism