In a shocking but not unsurprising move since Trump and Musk seem determined to make us less safe, the Trump/Doge administration has targeted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to sources close to the agency, around 800 employees have been tapped for termination. What could go wrong?
The Associated Press reports:
Federal workers who were not let go said the afternoon layoffs included meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country.
Cuts at NOAA appeared to be happening in two rounds, one of 500 and one of 800, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist who said he got the information from someone with first-hand knowledge. That’s about 10% of NOAA’s workforce.
The first round of cuts were probationary employees, McLean said. There are about 375 probationary employees in the National Weather Service — where day-to-day forecasting and hazard warning is done.
After nearly two weeks of overwhelming uncertainty, today it happened. I was fired from my dream of working at NOAA. I’m so sorry to everyone also affected.
My job was to strengthen NOAA’s use of machine learning and AI for subseasonal-to-decadal weather and climate prediction
— Zack Labe (@ZLabe) February 27, 2025
Sarah Cooley was fired yesterday as the Director of the Ocean Acidification Program.
Hey, if no one reports a hurricane barreling down on one or more of our states, it didn’t happen, right? It sure looks like Donald and Elon are intentionally sabotaging our country. Well done, MAGA.
