The Trump administration has set its sights on reducing the size of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with plans to terminate around 800 employees, according to sources close to the agency. The layoffs are part of a broader effort to shrink the government workforce.
Additional layoffs are expected, with the possibility of more than a thousand employees being let go by the end of the week. The affected employees come from various divisions of NOAA, including those specializing in weather, oceans, biodiversity, climate, and planetary monitoring.
Most of the terminations targeted probationary employees, who have been in their roles for a year or less. While some critical positions, such as those involved in life-threatening disaster forecasting like hurricanes and severe thunderstorms, may have been exempted, the exact number of impacted employees remains unclear.
Employees of the National Weather Service, a division of NOAA, are protected by a workers' union, which is working to support affected individuals and explore legal options. The terminations were reportedly carried out in a way that minimized paper trails, making it challenging for others within the agency to track the impact.
NOAA's mission to 'protect lives and property' has been significantly affected by the layoffs, as the agency has been understaffed for years. Critics argue that reducing NOAA's workforce will hamper the country's ability to accurately forecast severe weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes.
The terminations have impacted various departments within NOAA, including the Hurricane Research Division, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Employees with expertise in meteorology and computer engineering, essential for improving weather forecasting models, have also been let go.
The layoffs have raised concerns about NOAA's ability to address the increasing challenges posed by the climate crisis and extreme weather events. The affected employees, including researchers and scientists, play crucial roles in enhancing the accuracy of weather forecasts and protecting communities from natural disasters.
The administration's decision to slash NOAA's workforce has sparked criticism and calls for reconsideration, as the agency's work is vital for safeguarding lives and property in the face of evolving environmental threats.
