In a significant move by the Trump administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has laid off around 880 employees, including critical weather forecasters. Prior to the cuts, NOAA employed approximately 12,000 staff members globally, with a significant portion, about 6,773 individuals, serving as scientists and engineers. The layoffs are part of a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce, spearheaded by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), who aims to cut spending through funding reductions and personnel eliminations.
Musk initiated a controversial approach by emailing millions of federal employees, requesting a summary of their achievements from the previous week. Employees who failed to respond faced termination. In his communication, Musk stated employees would "shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week." He suggested that non-respondents might be "dead" or "not real people," claiming, "we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks." However, he provided no evidence to support this assertion.
A federal judge in San Francisco recently ruled that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful. The judge instructed the Office of Personnel Management to notify federal agencies that it had no authority to order these dismissals. Agencies such as the Department of Transportation, the Secret Service, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency subsequently advised employees to disregard the directive.
NOAA employees received specific instructions to respond to Musk's email in five bullet points while avoiding disclosure of classified information. Initially interpreted as a performance review, Musk later clarified it was intended as a "pulse check review," explaining, "I think that email perhaps was best interpreted as a performance review, but actually it was a pulse check review." He further elaborated, "Do you have a pulse? And two neurons. So if you have a pulse and two neurons, you can reply to an email."
Critics argue that these layoffs compromise essential programs. Miyoko Sakashita, the Center for Biological Diversity's oceans director, expressed concerns that the cuts could harm lifesaving initiatives. Jared Huffman echoed these sentiments, stating, "Musk's sham mission is bringing vital programs to a screeching halt. Purging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives."