Trump admin dismisses hundreds of employees at US climate agency
4 Min Read
Among those who received termination notices were employees hired through Schedule A, a federal hiring authority designed to recruit diverse candidates, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
-
A view of the logo of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 25, 2024 (AFP)
The Trump administration has dismissed hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States' leading climate research agency under the Department of Commerce, The Guardian reported.
On Thursday afternoon, the US Commerce Department sent emails notifying affected staff that their employment would be terminated by the end of the day. Several other government agencies have also faced significant staffing reductions in recent days.
The layoffs specifically targeted probationary employees—a category encompassing new hires as well as those recently transferred or promoted—who collectively make up approximately 10% of NOAA’s workforce.
The cuts come as Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency implements sweeping reductions to the federal workforce—measures that critics argue may exceed legal authority.
"The majority of probationary employees in my office have been with the agency for 10+ years and just got new positions," one NOAA employee who retained their position told The Guardian on the condition of anonymity due to concerns about retaliation.
"If we lose them, we’re losing not just the world-class work they do day to day but also decades of expertise and institutional knowledge."
Another staff member, also speaking anonymously, described those laid off as "dedicated, hard-working civil servants who came to NOAA to help protect lives and keep our blue planet healthy."
"These indiscriminate cuts are cruel and thoughtless," the second staffer indicated.
According to the second worker, the impact of these cuts extends beyond the affected workers themselves, warning that ordinary Americans who depend on NOAA for extreme weather forecasts, climate data, and sustainable fisheries management will also bear the consequences.
"Words can’t describe the impact this will have, both on us at NOAA and on the country," the employee expressed. "It’s just wrong all around."
Andrew Rosenberg, former deputy director of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, described Thursday as a "sad day".
Rosenberg explained that "there is no plan or thought into how to continue to deliver science or service on weather, severe storms and events, conservation and management of our coasts and ocean life and much more."
"Let’s not pretend this is about efficiency, quality of work or cost savings because none of those false justifications are remotely true," he added.
Among those who received termination notices were employees hired through Schedule A, a federal hiring authority designed to recruit diverse candidates, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
According to one social media post by an NOAA employee, all probationary staff at NOAA’s Environmental Modeling Center—responsible for improving weather, marine, and climate predictions—were dismissed.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen condemned the mass layoffs within the Commerce Department as "flatly illegal" in a letter sent Wednesday to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
During his confirmation hearing, Lutnick had assured Congress that NOAA would not be dismantled under his leadership.
"It seems either Lutnick willingly lied to Congress and the American people or that he has caved in record-breaking time to the destructive agenda of the Trump-Musk regime," suggested Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, a senior social scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Craig McLean, the former director of NOAA research who spent four decades with the agency before retiring in 2022, condemned the firings as "callous, insulting, vengeful and offensive."
"The nation will be compromised in safety, science and international standing by these reckless, blind acts," he warned.
NOAA has been a key target for conservative ideologues behind Project 2025, a governing blueprint that Trump's new administration appears to be following.
The plan, developed by the Heritage Foundation, characterizes NOAA as one of the "main drivers of the climate change alarm industry" and advocates for its dismantling.
Read more: Musk orders all federal workers to justify their jobs or lose them
