NOAA’s hydrographic survey vessel, which played a key role in Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. Photo courtesy of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. NOAA layoffs put American lives and economy at risk, experts warn
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain warns that more staffing cuts may be coming, further jeopardizing climate research and economic stability.
More than 800 meteorologists and staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were abruptly fired on Thursday — a move UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain calls “reckless” and a direct threat to American lives.
The layoffs, slashing nearly 10% of NOAA’s workforce, are “spectacularly short-sighted,” Swain warned. “There will be people who die in extreme weather events and weather-related disasters who would not have otherwise.”
NOAA houses the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center and two tsunami warning centers — agencies that provide lifesaving forecasts for emergency responders, businesses and the public. Swain warns the private sector “cannot quickly spin up” to fill the gap, leaving Americans more vulnerable to disasters.
The ripple effects could be devastating for industries that rely on precise weather predictions, including agriculture, aviation, energy and disaster response. It “will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters,” Swain said.
The dismissals are the latest in a wave of federal workforce cuts ordered by the Trump Administration via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk, who was appointed to lead the department last year, has championed aggressive cost-cutting measures across multiple federal agencies, framing them as a necessary step toward reducing government “bloat.”
NOAA’s workforce reduction follows similar cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy’s renewable energy programs. The pattern has raised alarm among scientists and policymakers who see it as part of a broader effort to weaken federal climate research and disaster preparedness capabilities.
In response, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued an open letter to Congress and the Trump Administration, urging policymakers to intervene before irreparable harm is done.
“Without a strong NOAA, a cornerstone of the U.S. scientific research enterprise, the world will be flying blind into the growing perils of global climate change,” the letter states.
Nearly 150 scientists signed the letter, including Alex Hall, director of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES), as well as IoES faculty members and researchers Daniel Swain, Paul Barber and Brenda Larison.
Further staffing reductions at NOAA and the National Weather Service may be imminent, with credible reports pointing to additional cuts. With further cuts looming, the risk of preventable deaths and economic fallout grows, according to Swain. “The American economy will suffer,” he said.
