On the evening of Tuesday (June 24), more than 1,800 employees working at the National Science Foundation (NSF) learned they would soon be kicked out of their office.
The next day, officials at a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) press conference confirmed the news: HUD would be taking over NSF’s Alexandria, Virginia headquarters, effective “as quickly as possible,” Michael Peters, Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service for the General Services Administration (GSA), said during the briefing.
An employee of NSF said in an interview with E&E News that they had “literally zero idea” the move was coming. The agency had only relocated to the brand-new building in 2017.
Dozens of NSF workers gathered outside the building to protest the decision on Wednesday (June 25). The crowd chanted slogans like “We won’t go!” And “N-S-F.” “This is bulls—,” one NSF employee who did not wish to be named told Washington’s News4.
Meanwhile, inside the building, officials presented the move as a step toward the Trump administration’s stated vision for increased federal efficiency. “The people of HUD are excited to have a new home to deliver excellent services,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. Approximately 2,700 HUD employees are expected to relocate to the NSF building from their current headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, which was built in the 1960s. While standing in front of a banner declaring “The New Golden Age of HUD,” Peters added: “This is a win for everyone involved.”
However, not everyone involved agrees. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents a number of NSF workers, strongly criticized the move. In a press release, the union called it a “callous disregard for taxpayer dollars and NSF employees.” The organization also alleged that it was told the relocation would include new additions to the Weaver building, such as a private executive suite, dining room and custom gym for Turner. “The hypocrisy is truly dumbfounding,” the organization said.
“That’s ridiculous and it’s not true,” Turner said at the press conference.
“The Trump Administration’s displacement of over 1,800 National Science Foundation employees from its headquarters with no place to go, adds insult to injury when the Administration is pushing a 55% cut to NSF’s budget,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, chimed in, also dismayed at reports of the possible luxuries that’d be installed as part of the move.
“We should be investing in our scientists and innovation to make America globally competitive. I will fight to make sure NSF workers are protected and that we invest in their important work,” she said.
Members of the House of Representatives’ Science, Space and Technology Committee also condemned the measure. “The Trump administration’s egregious, corrupt, and disgraceful abuse of power continues, this time by kicking dedicated scientists out of their building,” wrote panel member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California). “Once again, science loses, the American taxpayer loses, and our competitors, like China, win.”
The announcement comes at an uncertain time in NSF’s history. The agency was founded in 1950 with the goal of advancing American science, technology and engineering. Since then, it has played a key role in these fields from developing the barcode to observing gravitational waves and imaging the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. But over the last six months, the Trump administration has frozen or terminated more than 1,600 NSF grants, with plans to reduce the agency’s budget by more than half. HUD, meanwhile, faces a 44% cut to its 2026 funding should the current administration’s budget proposal pass.
It is currently unclear where — or how — NSF’s displaced employees will be relocated. Some had just recently moved back to Virginia on short notice after a federal judge reversed the Trump administration’s decision to fire dozens of probationary employees. Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia, expressed his hope that the Trump administration would keep NSF in the commonwealth, but at a different location.
For now, it appears GSA is taking responsibility for figuring out where to move NSF workers. “GSA will continue to support and work with the National Science Foundation on space that allows them to fulfill their mission,” the agency said in a press release. NSF declined Space.com’s request for comment.