Hundreds of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees, including weather forecasters, have had their jobs terminated, according to lawmakers and weather experts.
Remaining federal workers reported that the layoffs included meteorologists vital to local forecasting at National Weather Service offices nationwide.
Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist, said that the cuts occurred in two phases, one of 500 and another of 800, based on information from a source with direct knowledge.
This accounts for approximately 10 per cent of NOAA’s total workforce.
McLean noted that the initial round of cuts targeted probationary employees, of which there are around 375 within the National Weather Service.
The firings come amid efforts by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the federal workforce, which President Donald Trump has previously criticised as bloated and inefficient.
Thousands of probationary employees across various government agencies have already been dismissed.
Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., released a statement saying: “Today, hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including weather forecasters at the National Weather Service (NWS), were given termination notices for no good reason. This is unconscionable.”
Meng added: "These are dedicated, hardworking Americans whose efforts help save lives and property from the devastating impacts of natural disasters across the country. This action will only endanger American lives going forward.”
Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who is the ranking minority member in the House Natural Resources Committee, also said “hundreds of scientists and experts at NOAA” were let go.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said on social media that the job cuts "are spectacularly short-sighted, and ultimately will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters.”
About 1,600 US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees were fired earlier this week as part of the cuts.
Workers at the global aid agency were given just 15 minutes to clear their desks in a move some labelled insulting.
The administration has yet to release official figures on the total number of dismissals. The layoffs have disproportionately affected employees with less than one year of service, who lack the job security afforded to longer-serving staff members.
The Internal Revenue Service has been among the hardest-hit agencies, with 6,700 employees let go.
Meanwhile, 5,400 jobs have been cut at the Defense Department and 3,400 at the Department of Agriculture.
