Expectations are high as House Natural Resources Committee leaders on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, host an issues forum to discuss the escalating attacks on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE.
According to the Committee, the attacks jeopardise everything from disaster warnings and public safety to the stability of coastal economies and America’s ability to respond to the climate crisis.
Members of Congress in attendance include Rep. Jared Huffman, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member, and Rep. Val Hoyle, Water, Wildlife, & Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member.
The Panelists comprise Mary Glackin, Retired NOAA official, American Meteorological Society; Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director, Azul; Elizabeth L. Lewis, Senior Associate Attorney, Eubanks & Associates, PLLC; and Sarah Schumann, Fisherman, and Owner/Principal Consultant, Shining Sea Fisheries.
On February 27, 2025, the Trump administration terminated over 800 NOAA employees, accounting for over 7% of its workforce. The public servants are said to be integral to life-saving operations such as severe weather forecasting, climate change monitoring, and fisheries management.
Observers describe the layoffs as reckless, as employees were notified via email that their positions would be terminated by the end of the day and given just one hour to leave the building.
Environmental group, Ocean Conservancy, submitted: “Several National Weather Service offices were forced to suspend weather balloon launches due to staffing shortages, impairing the accuracy of weather forecasts. Several offices around the country have been forced to limit operations or close entirely while programmes in others have been drastically reduced or outright eliminated.
“A temporary restraining order was later issued, leading to the reinstatement of some NOAA employees. However, the future employment status of many remains uncertain, leaving NOAA’s capacity to fulfill its mission in jeopardy.
“Dismantling NOAA is a central pillar of the extremist Project 2025 agenda – an effort to politicise science, silence experts, and hand over decision-making to Big Oil billionaires. Elon Musk’s DOGE is leading the charge, slashing life-saving services so they can steal from hardworking taxpayers and give more tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Scientists working to protect families from hurricanes, wildfires, and rising seas are being censored, intimidated, and purged – threatening the safety and well-being of every American.
“Natural Resources Ranking Member, Jared Huffman, has repeatedly sounded the alarm on Trump and Musk’s attacks on NOAA. Ranking Member Huffman and Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member Val Hoyle previously led 13 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, then-acting NOAA Administrator, demanding answers on reports of President Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to unlawfully dismantle NOAA. Ranking Member Huffman sent a similar letter to Chair Westerman urging him to use the Committee’s oversight authority to investigate Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of NOAA.”