The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation's best agency for the nation's weather and climate science, has been told by the Trump administration to prepare to lose another 1,000 workers, raising concerns that NOAA's life-saving predictions could be hampered as hurricane and disaster seasons approach.
The new layoffs come in addition to around 1,300 NOAA staff members who have already resigned or fired in recent weeks. The move is on alert by scientists, meteorologists and others at agencies, including the National Weather Service. Some activities, including the launch of balloons, have already been suspended due to a shortage of staff.
Together, the reduction represents almost 20% of NOAA's approximately 13,000 workforce.
Managers within NOAA have been told to create a proposal for layoffs and reorganizations of at least 1,000 people, according to eight people who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to be planned and published. The effort is part of the “power cuts” that President Trump requested as part of last month's executive order, as he and billionaire Elon Musk are rapidly and massively cutting the federal bureaucracy.
NOAA managers are asked to complete the proposal by Tuesday, one of the people said. The proposal is likely to involve eliminating some of the agency's functions, although managers receive little guidance for programs that prioritize compensation.
NOAA representatives did not immediately respond to Saturday's request for comment.
Recent employee departures have already affected NOAA's operations in many areas, including predicting hurricanes and tornadoes, overseeing fisheries and endangered species species, and monitoring the changes humans are bringing to the global climate and ecosystem.
NOAA, a $6.8 billion agent within the Commerce Department, has been chosen by some of Trump's allies for cuts. The policy blueprint issued by the Heritage Foundation, reflected in Project 2025, reflecting many actions in the Trump administration, calls NOAA “one of the major drivers of the climate change warning industry.” The document calls for the dismantling of the institution, with some of its functions being eliminated or privatized.
Organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, representing Earth and Space researchers, have called on Congress to oppose the administration's actions.
“Wilding NOAA's businesses could put the safety of millions of Americans at risk and destabilize countless industries, from agriculture and fishing to energy and funding, to job losses and economic downturns,” the organization wrote in the letter. They pointed out that as the planet warms up, extreme weather becomes more frequent, more damaging, and NOAA's work is more important.
Keith Seiter, a well-known visiting lecturer in meteorology and climate science at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, said it was a “bad misconception” that private companies would replace NOAA when predicting weather.
“What you see on your phone app or on TV, they are private companies, but these private companies rely heavily on NOAA for all the information they use to make those predictions,” said Dr. Seitter. “It's a coordinated effort.”
Employees who still work at NOAA explain their deep feelings of anxiety. Their colleagues were let go without notice. This means they don't know who might not just show up for work. Government issued credit cards are frozen so you cannot travel to buy supplies for research projects or retrieve instruments installed in the sea. They are in a hurry to back up their scientific data. They fear that the program will be closed or the building's lease will be cancelled.
At least three NOAA facilities were on the list of federal assets the Trump administration flagged for potential sales last week. The list was later removed and new inventory was replaced by a web page that said “it's coming soon.”
In addition to the layoffs of scientists at NOAA and other institutions, potential cuts to federal funding for research at universities and hospitals have created concerns that the administration will undermine the foundations of modern American scientific leadership.
On Friday, crowds gathered at Stand Up for Science for Science rally in cities across the country, including Austin, Birmingham, Alabama, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Nashville and Washington.
“This is the most challenging moment I can remember for science,” University of Pennsylvania climate researcher Michael Mann told a Washington rally, which peaked at 5,000 people, according to organizers. “Science is under siege,” Dr. Mann said.
According to Dr. Seitter, the National Weather Service faces demands for budget cuts, adoption of freezes and privatization. “But there's no chance you've just pounded arbitrarily out of the workforce or took away the entire budget chunk that supports mission-critical things,” he said.
