Mass layoffs target NOAA next: Hundreds reportedly fired in a day

The Trump administration has now come for jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to the New York Times, the latest batch of mass layoffs is expected to impact over 800 people out of about 13,000 staff members, per two sources familiar with the scenario.

“This loss of talent at NOAA is going to set the agency back years and compromise the integrity of missions that directly support human health and safety, economic prosperity and national security,” said a policy analyst at the National Ocean Service. Persistently demanding anonymity, they continued, “This is not a move toward efficiency; it’s a move toward putting Americans in danger every day.”

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Laid-off employees at NOAA speak out

The Commerce Department layoffs at NOAA have been massively in swing since the new secretary, Howard Lutnick, was sworn in on Monday. A termination email sent to Emma Esquivel, executive assistant to Alaska's National Weather Service director, on Thursday afternoon said she was “not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the agency's current needs.”

The “overqualified” Esquivel “wanted to get (her) foot in the door at NOAA," to earn the security of a government job over a better-paying position in the private sector. Yet another employee, though hoping to challenge his termination, claims to have been deemed a probationary worker among others at NOAA's National Weather Service.

However, he, among others, has been employed at various offices of the overarching government agency charged with forecasting weather and more for several years. Even commendable ratings in a performance review couldn't seem to have saved his job.

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Lawmakers against Commerce layoffs led by Trump admin's DOGE

These cuts are believed to be just the first wave of more disheartening headlines this week, given that billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE is spearheading the move to reduce the size of the federal government. Lawmakers, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), denounced the Commerce Department's layoffs on Thursday, per Axios.

The former said said in a statement, “This action is a direct hit to our economy, because NOAA's specialized workforce provides products and services that support more than a third of the nation's GDP.”

Meanwhile, Huffman stated, “ People nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information.”