NOAA braces for steep job cuts

Energy & Environment

The Big Story

NOAA set to slash jobs ‘imminently’

Mass firings are set to hit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “imminently,” a source with knowledge told The Hill.

The person, who asked to speak anonymously due to fear of reprisal, said the agency had not yet been subjected to the steep cuts announced elsewhere due to the then-pending c o nfirmation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The Commerce Department oversees NOAA and the National Weather Service. Lutnick was sworn in Friday afternoon.

Many of the federal cuts thus far have targeted probationary workers, which include recent hires but also those who have been recently promoted.

The source told The Hill that an original list of workers set to be fired comprised of new workers, except for veterans and Schedule A employees or noncompetitively appointed disabled workers. However, on Tuesday, the director and deputy director of NOAA were asked to add the excluded workers back to the list, the source added.

Lutnick denied in his confirmation hearing that he would seek to dismantle or privatize NOAA as Commerce secretary. However, Project 2025, the sweeping conservative governance blueprint published by the Heritage Foundation, calls for such a move, and associates of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were reportedly present at NOAA facilities earlier this month.

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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