Trump Administration Fires Hundreds of NOAA Employees in Latest Round of Layoffs

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The Trump administration has its sights set on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where around 800 employees have been tapped for termination, according to two sources close to the agency. More layoffs are possible, potentially costing the weather, climate, and environmental agency more than a thousand employees by the end of the week. Most divisions of the agency, which employs scientists and specialists in weather, oceans, biodiversity, climate, and other research and planetary monitoring fields, were affected. The climate crisis and extreme weather events have been a major focus of the agency, and the layoffs are expected to have a significant impact on its ability to provide accurate forecasts and warnings.

Probationary employees — those who have been in their jobs for a year or less, in most cases — were fired, a person inside the National Weather Service told CNN. There are between 350 and 375 employees with that status at the weather service, though it’s not clear how many of those were impacted. The people who were charged with conducting the terminations seemed to have acted in a way that would minimize paper trails, a source close to NOAA said, making it difficult for others at the agency to know who was affected and leaving the word of firings to spread by word of mouth. The terminated NOAA workers’ letters said, “The Agency finds you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs.”

The National Weather Service’s mission is to “protect lives and property.” The terminations are a blow to an agency that has been understaffed for years, even as the climate crisis accelerates and extreme weather becomes more frequent. Critics of the administration’s plan to slash the agency — a directive that was outlined in Project 2025 — have said layoffs would further cripple America’s ability to accurately forecast hurricanes, tornadoes, and other costly, deadly extreme weather. Meteorologists and computer engineers across NOAA were impacted, including at the Hurricane Research Division, where employees work to increase the accuracy of hurricane forecasts. The use of machine learning and AI for subseasonal-to-decadal weather and climate prediction was also affected, with several modelers being terminated.

Other departments in which roles were terminated include the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and the division that develops and improves the United States’ weather models. The firings have been met with widespread criticism, with many arguing that they will have a devastating impact on the agency’s ability to provide critical services to the public. The Union of Concerned Scientists sent a letter to the commerce secretary, signed by more than 2,500 scientific experts, calling for NOAA to maintain its funding and staff. Several lawmakers, including Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, have also spoken out against the layoffs, arguing that they are illegal and will put American lives at risk.

The timeline of events surrounding the layoffs is as follows: * Thursday: Hundreds of NOAA employees receive emails informing them that their jobs will be cut off at the end of the day * Friday: More layoffs possible, potentially costing the agency over a thousand employees by the end of the week * Wednesday: Senator Chris Van Hollen sends a letter to the commerce secretary, calling the mass layoffs "flatly illegal" * Wednesday: The Union of Concerned Scientists sends a letter to the commerce secretary, signed by over 2,500 scientific experts, calling for NOAA to maintain its funding and staff. The Trump administration has not commented on the firings, but the impact is expected to be significant, with many arguing that it will compromise the nation's safety, science, and international standing.