NASA Closes Iconic New York Climate Lab Displacing 130 Scientists

NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), a key climate and space research lab located above New York City's Tom's Restaurant, is set to close at the end of May due to the Trump administration's directive to review and terminate federal leases. This closure, displacing about 130 scientists to remote work without a clear relocation plan, coincides with an administration-driven effort to cut NASA's Earth science funding by 50%, reflecting a broader pattern of undermining federal scientific research. GISS has been instrumental in advancing climate science, including developing some of the first climate models and monitoring global warming trends, and its shutdown symbolizes a political sidelining of scientific expertise in sensitive areas. Critics, including former GISS director Dr. James Hansen, view this move as an attempt to silence inconvenient scientific findings about climate change. This action is part of a wider assault on science under the Trump administration, which includes appointing unqualified officials to scientific posts and shutting down research centers focused on critical diseases. The shutdown highlights growing concerns about the United States' diminishing support for scientific research despite historically leading global investment and innovation in science.