The job-cutting drive by lieutenants of US President Donald Trump has reached theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with firings that have raised concerns about the impact on shipping.
Several news agencies reported that NOAA, a Commerce Department agency that provides weather and oceanographic data to shipping, has begun firing staff. CBS News reported that about 880 employees have lost their jobs, while CNN reported that the cuts impacted about 800.
The Commerce Department press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cuts come amid a campaign by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to fire probationary employees across government agencies.
They also come just days after Howard Lutnick was confirmed to lead the Commerce Department.
Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat who represents the state of Washington, said the firings “threaten our maritime commerce” and the ability to forecast and respond to extreme weather.
“This action is a direct hit to our economy, because NOAA’s specialised workforce provides products and services that support more than one-third of the nation’s GDP,” she said.
Last week, the senator sent a letter to Lutnick urging him to prevent the firings.
Shipping blow
“Ships will not be able to safely navigate through our waterways. Farmers will not have the data they need to manage their crops,” Cantwell wrote.
“NOAA’s workforce keeps people alive and provides communities with the scientific support tools to protect their families and grow their businesses.”
It is not clear which parts of NOAA were impacted by the reported cuts.
The agency has numerous connections to the maritime sector and provides weather data to several industries.
It provides ocean data including depth information, known as bathymetry, and forecasts on currents and tides.
The agency is also in charge of key environmental rules, such as vessel speed limits to prevent whale strikes.
In a BBC report, a NOAA spokesman declined to comment on the job cuts.
“We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission,” he said.
In Senate testimony, Lutnick said he believed in keeping NOAA together amid calls by some Trump proponents to dismantle it.
But the spokesman alluded to the potential for cuts at the National Weather Service.
“I think we can deliver the product more efficiently and less expensively — dramatically less expensively — but the outcome of delivering those services should not be changed,” he said.(Copyright)
