NOAA layoffs spark outrage as Trump administration continues to shrink federal workforce
Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees in Maryland were laid off Thursday, and more could be on the way.
The firings come amid efforts by the Trump Administration to shrink and streamline the federal workforce.
Laid off staffers who were considered probationary employees received an email Thursday, which read in part:
"OPM has advised that '[p]robationary periods are an essential tool for agencies to assess employee performance and manage staffing levels.' (4) In light of that guidance, the Agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency's current needs."
A call for action
On Friday, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and former NOAA officials held a virtual call following the terminations.
"We do have the biggest fight on our hands that we have witnessed certainly since I've been in Congress and anytime that I can remember in my lifetime," Van Hollen said during the virtual call.
Van Hollen was joined by House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member and Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-2), Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-1), Former NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad, Former NOAA Director of Research Craig McLean, and Former NOAA Director of Policy Sally Yozell.
Speakers voiced their support for NOAA and the other agencies affected by the layoffs, calling on federal leaders to rehire them.
"Park rangers, firefighters, scientists – all of these people, whose purpose is to serve everyday Americans, have had the rug pulled out from under them. And we will all be worse off for it," said Ranking Member Jared Huffman.
"Every day, NOAA employees forecast the weather, track severe storms, and issue critical guidance that keeps Americans safe," said Congressman Gabe Amo, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Environment.
"I call on them to rehire these public servants immediately before preventable tragedy strikes."
What is the NOAA?
The NOAA runs the National Weather Service (NWS), which issues important weather warnings such as hurricanes and tornado warnings. It is also responsible for monitoring the health of the oceans and much more.
Gary Szatkowski is a retired Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service. His career spans 38 years with a majority of it spent covering the Philadelphia metropolitan area and much of the surrounding region.
"It covers a wide range of things. But first and foremost is to provide weather information for basically everyone, including broadcast meteorology," said Szatkowski. "I don't think a person goes through the day without using National Weather Service and NOAA data. They may not realize it."
Szatkowski explained that the move to fire NOAA staff may impact the weather notifications that everyday people receive.
"When someone gets a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning, a flash flood warning," said Szatkowski. "Those are all coming directly from the National Weather Service, that's not coming from some other government organization. So those warnings are probably the most important in terms of protection of life."
WJZ's First Alert Weather Team and meteorologists across the county work closely and rely on data from NOAA and NWS to deliver weather reports 24/7.
"Under the NOAA umbrella are these different agencies that discriminate and help people you and me get information on how to stay safe and also how to be prepared," explained Steve Sosna, a meteorologist a part of WJZ's First Alert Weather Team.
550 organizations, businesses, and institutions signed a coalition letter addressed to Congress urging them to take action.
Former NOAA officials, who spoke directly with current staffers, also previously confirmed to CBS News they saw members of the DOGE team at NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Hoover Building, in Washington, D.C., where NOAA's parent agency, the U.S. Commerce Department is located.