"Ex-NASA Employee Criticizes Government for Budget-Driven Layoffs at JPL"

A former NASA employee criticized Congress for causing recent layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, comparing the situation to historic mistakes made by fallen empires. He emphasized the importance of the JPL to America's space accomplishments and expressed concern about the impact on morale and the Mars Sample Return mission. The ex-employee called out the government for its "folly, arrogance, and fully-informed ignorance" and urged leaders to do better for the sake of space exploration.