NOAA under the second presidency of Donald Trump

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Following the second inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on January 20, 2025, several major changes occurred at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including hundreds of employees being terminated, dozens of federal contracts being terminated, and executive orders which affected the operations of NOAA.

Contents

Federal employee terminations

On February 27, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), abruptly terminated around 880 employees, over 7.3% of the total staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Prior to the terminations, NOAA had approximately 12,000 employees, which included 6,773 scientists and engineers. [1] [2] [3] [4] Shortly after the firings, William Alsup, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, ruled that the OPM "had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees". [1]

Rick Spinrad, the former NOAA Administrator who was picked by former president Joe Biden, stated firings occurred at the National Hurricane Center and Storm Prediction Center. [2] Spinrad stated 25% of the NOAA Environmental Modeling Center was terminated. [2] Congressman Jared Huffman responsed to the firings by saying the entire American public "depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information". [1] Daniel Swain, a scientist at the University of California, in response to the firings said, "Most or all private weather companies in US (including forecasts that you see on TV or your favorite app) are built directly atop backbone of taxpayer-funded instrumentation, data, predictive modeling, & forecasts provided by NOAA". [1]

A weather balloon launch station maintained by the National Weather Service in Alaska was forced to cease launches due to the terminations resulting in staff shortages. [4] The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), a branch of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research announced the terminations resulted in a staff shortage and the office would be taking an "indefinite hiatus". [5] [4] [6] Nicole Rice, an employee at the GLERL who was terminated reported 20% of the GLERL office was terminated. [6] Axios reported that one of the "deepest of NOAA's cuts was to the Office of Space Commerce" (OSC). [4] Researchers, including duel-role University of Oklahoma (OU)-federal researchers at the National Weather Center, located on the OU campus were terminated, which included students in the OU School of Meteorology. [7]

Involvement of DOGE

NOAA, at the recommendation of DOGE, terminating a cooperative agreement with the University of Maine Termination of NOAA Cooperative Agreement Award NumberNA24OARX417C0036.png
NOAA, at the recommendation of DOGE, terminating a cooperative agreement with the University of Maine

On February 4, 2025, The Guardian reported employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had entered the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, reporting "they apparently just sort of walked past security and said: 'Get out of my way,' and they're looking for access for the IT systems, as they have in other agencies". [8] ABC News reported on February 6 that DOGE employees had gained access to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) computer systems. Staff from the NOAA Information Technology group and the Department of Commerce attempted to keep the operatives from the systems according to security protocols, but the operatives defied authorized security staff and forcefully entered the facilities. [8] Two Democratic Congress members characterized DOGE's presence in NOAA systems as "hackers". NOAA staff noted that the actions of the operatives could directly cause risk to human life by hindering NOAA and National Weather Service operations. [9] [8] ABC also reported that operatives were also looking for anything connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on bulletin boards and were inspecting bathroom signs to ensure compliance with Trump's executive orders. [9]

On February 12, Grist reported that the Trump administration started to shrink the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), [10] nearly 170 employees at the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights were placed on paid administrative leave. [11]

NOAA contract involvement

On February 17, 2025, DOGE released the names of 1,127 federal contracts spanning 39 federal departments and agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that DOGE says had been terminated. [12] A Wall Street Journal analysis of these over 1,000 contracts found inaccuracies of DOGE's reported savings, including counting contracts multiple times, listing contracts that have already been paid as savings, and misrepresenting potential savings based on contract limits rather than actual spending. [13] On February 24, 2025, DOGE released more documents, with the total nearing 2,300 contracts released. The Associated Press found that "nearly 40%" of the terminated contracts would not save the government any money. [14]

As of March 2, 2025, DOGE released 29 NOAA-specific contracts it claims to have terminated, partially terminated, or interacted with. [15] [16]

NOAA departmentContract valueClaimed savingsDescription/Notes
NOS $163,478$9,800DOGE announced the termination of a contract with Elevate USA Inc. for "DEIA training" for the National Ocean Service (NOS). [17]
NMFS $421,548$366,000DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "DEIA support services" for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). [18]
NMFS $348,400$164,840DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "DEIA support services" for the National Marine Fisheries Service's Human Capital Management Office (NMFS HCMO). [19]
NMFS $1,681,746$1,034,304DOGE announced the partial termination of a contract for the National Marine Fisheries Service's "first-ever national Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) Strategy to guide the agency as it focuses on serving all communities more equitably and effectively. [20]
OAR $106,250$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) for "non-personal service for JEDI training". [21] The company contracted by NOAA, The Avarna Group LLC, has a company expiration date of January 6, 2026. [22]
OAR $300,000$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for study on "diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and justice on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Independent Science Studies (NASISS)". [23]
NWS $990,087$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract for an "organizational climate assessment" for the National Weather Service (NWS). [24]
OAR $439,282$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract for a "study on equitable distribution of fisheries management" for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. [25]
OAR $9,900,000$0DOGE announced the partial termination of a contract for "strategic foresight and performance management consultant services" for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. [26]
NMFS $184,000$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract that would provide "training on equity and environmental justice" to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Per the receipt released by DOGE, it was "last modified" in September 2024. [27]
OAR $27,000$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract with an Australian company to "revise and update the Atlantis Ecosystem model to support NOAA's Earth System Model framework to project the response of fishes and food webs under scenarios of future climate change and invasive species" for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Per the receipt released by DOGE, it was "last modified" in September 2024. [28]
OAR $500,000$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract with the National Academy of Sciences for a "study on drought and climate change" for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Per the receipt released by DOGE, it was "last modified" in June 2024. [29]
OAR $643,158$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract to provide "science related communication services" to the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. The termination reason stated by DOGE was that the "company is associated with others not in-line with the President's Agenda". [30]
OAR $643,880$107,313DOGE announced the termination of a contract to provide "science related communication services" to the NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO). The termination reason stated by DOGE was that the "company is associated with others not in-line with the President's Agenda". [31]
NMFS $3,204,694$2,598,174DOGE announced the termination of a contract to provide "video and digital media communications support, video production, & podcasts production" to the National Marine Fisheries Service. [32]
OAR $96,639$0DOGE announced the termination of a contract for the University of Illinois to "receive, review, and manage data" for the World Data Center and to "establish best practices for data and metadata formatting" for the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization. [33]
NWS $199,867$0DOGE announced the modification of a National Weather Service (NWS)-funded contract from For Your Information, Inc. due to the contracting company being an "office of facilities staffing analysis". The released receipt by DOGE stated the modification was to "extend period of performance by 6 months". [34]
OAR $36,805$5,257DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "coaching services for multiple staff transitioning to a supervisory position" in the NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory through June 2025. [35]
OCAO$80,922$55,998DOGE announced the termination of a contract for the NOAA Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (OCAO) for "archibus and builder tools, training, and development" from Golden Wolf, LLC. [36]
OAR $140,000$105,000DOGE announced the termination of a contract that was "to provide NOAA with a gold standard partnership at the annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Conference". [37]
NMFS $277,521$130,490DOGE announced the termination of a contract for the "development of strategic and implementation plans" for the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. [38]
NMFS $249,977$146,322DOGE announced the termination of a contract for an "EEJ project cultural liaison" for the NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office. [39]
OAR $466,884$158,625DOGE announced the termination of a contract for an "outreach coordinator on the science, engineering and technical support services" for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. [40]
NOAA$567,840$189,280DOGE announced the termination of a contract for NOAA' Nursing Mother Program Support. [41]
NOS $846,483$227,750DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "program office coordination and operations support services" for the National Ocean Service. [42]
OAR $590,273$446,920DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "science, engineering, and technical support services" and "other environmental services" from FedWriters, Inc. for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. [43]
NOAA$1,052,914$631,748DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "project and program management" for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Per the receipt released by DOGE, the contract was "last modified" in September 2023. [44]
OAR $2,014,381$1,073,496DOGE announced the deobligation of $1,073,496 from NOAA's Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office (UxSRTO), managed by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. [45] [46] In July 2023, NOAA's UxSRTO reported they had found "no significant impact for the funding, procurement, and operation of NOAA small uncrewed aircraft systems", and the UxSRTO program was shut down by the OAR in March 2024. [47] [48]
NOS $2,383,700$1,854,912DOGE announced the termination of a contract for "scientific and technical support services for spatial planning" for NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). [49]
NOAA$4,523,123$1,499,374NOAA, at the recommendation of DOGE, terminated the University of Maine's multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant, saying "it has been determined that the program activities proposed to be carried out in Year 2 of the Maine Sea Grant Omnibus Award are no longer relevant to the focus of the Administration’s priorities and program objectives". [50]

Other events

Following Executive Order 14172, signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, the National Weather Service changed all maps and products to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." [51] [52]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mackintosh, Thomas (28 February 2025). "Hundreds in US climate agency fired in latest cuts". BBC. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Dance, Scott; Patel, Kasha (1 March 2025). "Trump fired hundreds at NOAA, Weather Service. Here's what that means for forecasts". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Budryk, Zack (February 27, 2025). "NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers". The Hill. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Freedman, Andrew (28 February 2025). "NOAA layoffs threaten weather, climate forecasts". Axios . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (27 February 2025). "Due to a reduction in staff, NOAA GLERL's communications services will be taking an indefinite hiatus" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Gorman, Julia (27 February 2025). "Former employee: 20% of Ann Arbor NOAA office cut, community to feel impacts". WZZM . American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Fathepure, Anusha; Gillespie, Willie (28 February 2025). "National Weather Center employees, OU meteorology students part of nationwide NOAA layoffs". OU Daily . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats". The Guardian. February 5, 2025.
  9. 1 2 ABC Climate Unit (February 5, 2025). "DOGE now has access to NOAA's IT systems; reviewing DEI program, sources say". ABC News.
  10. ↑ Younes, Lylla (2025-02-12). "Trump's push for 'efficiency' may destroy the EPA. What does that mean for you?". Grist. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  11. ↑ Borunda, Alejandra (2025-02-07). "EPA employees who work on environmental justice are put on leave". NPR. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  12. ↑ Kim, Soo Rin; Steakin, Will. "DOGE claims $55 billion in government cuts so far – but the figure is hard to verify". ABC News . Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Caitlin, Ostroff; Shifflett, Shane; Benedict, James (22 February 2025). "DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  14. ↑ Foley, Ryan J. (25 February 2025). "Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk's DOGE are expected to produce no savings". AP News. AP. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "Savings". Department of Government Efficiency. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Siken, Justin (19 February 2025). "List of All Contracts Terminated by DOGE". HigherGov. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  17. ↑ Culbreth, Wendy; Walton, Michelle (23 January 2025). "Contract 241045845: "DEIA Training"". Department of Government Efficiency . Ridgeland, South Carolina: Federal Procurement Data System / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Huckleby, Jack; Stansfield, Hillary (27 January 2025). "Contract 241609676: "DEIA Support Services"". Department of Government Efficiency . McLean, Virginia: Federal Procurement Data System / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  19. ↑ Cowdrey, Monica; Montoya, Hannah (28 January 2025). "Contract 241610331: NMFS Human Capital Management Office (HCMO) Diversity and Inclusion Contractor Support Services". Department of Government Efficiency . McLean, Virginia: Federal Procurement Data System / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  20. ↑ Nededog, Carina; Waugh, Sarah (20 February 2025). "Contract 241645089: Modification for Partial Termination for Government Convenience in accordance with Executive Order and OPM memorandum regarding DEIA, EEJ activities". Federal Procurement Data System . Seattle, Washington: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Mas, Stephanie (27 January 2025). "Contract 1305M323PNRMN0583". Federal Procurement Data System. Natick, Massachusetts: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  22. ↑ "THE AVARNA GROUP LLC". G2Xchange. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  23. ↑ Hamilton, Julia L.; Bueno, Bianca (31 January 2025). "Contract 1305M323FNRMA0221: Task Order for Study on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Accessibility, and Justice on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Independent Science Studies (NASISS) IDIQ for NOAA/OAR". Federal Procurement Data System. Washington, D.C.: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  24. ↑ Smith, Angela N.; Shewmaker, Jacquelyn A. (13 February 2025). "Contract 1305M224C0038: "Organizational Climate Assessment". Federal Procurement Data System. Germantown, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  25. ↑ Hamilton, Julia L.; Royster, Angela (6 February 2025). "Contract 1305M323FNRMA0027: Study On Equitable Distribution Of Fisheries Management, Phase 2". Federal Procurement Data System. Washington, D.C.: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  26. ↑ Hamilton, Julia L.; Royster, Angela (11 February 2025). "Contract 1305M324A0011: Blanket Purchase Agreement (Bpa) For Strategic Foresight And Performance Management Consultant Services". Federal Procurement Data System. Arlington, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  27. ↑ Taulman, Jenna (11 September 2024). "Contract 1305M324P0542: Provided training on Equity and Environmental justice". Federal Procurement Data System. Nome, Alaska: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  28. ↑ Herrera, Marilyn (9 September 2024). "Contract 1305M324P0544: COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION". Federal Procurement Data System. Acton, Australian Capital Territory: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  29. ↑ Hamilton, Julia L.; Royster, Angela (18 June 2024). "Contract 1305M324F0183: NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (NAS) - STUDY ON DROUGHT AND CLIMATE CHANGE". Federal Procurement Data System. Washington, D.C.: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  30. ↑ Sikora, Emmy; McAvoy, Stacy (29 May 2024). "Contract 1305M324F0115: Harmonic International LLC". Federal Procurement Data System. Edgewater, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  31. ↑ Sikora, Emmy; Royster, Angela (19 August 2024). "Contract 1305M324F0278: Harmonic International LLC". Federal Procurement Data System. Edgewater, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  32. ↑ Kolata, Kristina; Stansfield, Hillary (17 January 2025). "Contract 1305M324F0343: Ocean Associates Inc". Federal Procurement Data System. Arlington, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  33. ↑ Shifflett, Barbara (13 February 2024). "Contract 1333MJ22PNRMA0014: University of Illinois". Federal Procurement Data System. Urbana, Illinois: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  34. ↑ Thurston, Dallas; Perry, Carrie L. (18 June 2024). "Contract 1305M223FNWWF0215: FYI - For Your Information, Inc". Federal Procurement Data System. Beltsville, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  35. ↑ Romberg-Garrett, Suzanne (18 December 2024). "Contract 1305M325F0018: Lynne Carbone & Associates Inc". Federal Procurement Data System. Bethesda, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  36. ↑ Hendrix, Kelsey; Gates, ania (20 September 2023). "Contract 1305M421PNAAJ0030: GOLDEN WOLF, LLC". Federal Procurement Data System. Lithia, Florida: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  37. ↑ Neubert, Shelley (18 February 2025). "Contract 1333MJ23PNAAA0071: Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities". Federal Procurement Data System. San Antonio, Texas: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  38. ↑ Waugh, Sarah (7 January 2025). "Contract 1305M324F0008: Lynne Carbone & Associates Inc". Federal Procurement Data System. Honolulu, Hawaii: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  39. ↑ Walton, Michelle (19 July 2024). "Contract 1305M324F0185: EEJ Project Cultural Liaison For Piro Base Year". Federal Procurement Data System. Boulder, Colorado: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  40. ↑ Hamilton, Julia L.; McAvoy, Stacy (30 July 2024). "Contract 1305M323FNRMW0227: FedWriters, Inc". Federal Procurement Data System. Fairfax, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  41. ↑ Hendrix, Kelsey; Perren, Catherine A. (30 March 2023). "Contract 1305M422FNAAA0045: Nursing Mother Program Support". Federal Procurement Data System. Silver Spring, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  42. ↑ Ciolli, Anthony (7 July 2023). "Contract 1305M220FNCNA0300: NOS/AA - Program Office Coordination And Operations Support Services". Federal Procurement Data System. Boulder, Colorado: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  43. ↑ Morris, Jeremy; Moore, Darrin (17 February 2023). "Contract 1305M323FNRMW0029: Science, Engineering, And Technical Support Services". Federal Procurement Data System. Fairfax, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  44. ↑ Hendrix, Kelsey; Perren, Catherine A. (1 September 2023). "Contract 1305M422FNAAA0114: Project Management/Program Management". Federal Procurement Data System. Lusby, Maryland: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  45. ↑ Sikora, Emmy (17 February 2025). "Contract 1305M322FNRMW0014: Scientific, Engineering, And Technical Support, Task Order For NOAA's UxSRTO". Federal Procurement Data System. Fairfax, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  46. ↑ "1305M321DNRMA0010-1305M322FNRMW0014". HigherGov. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  47. ↑ Holst, David (13 July 2023). "Finding of No Significant Impact and Final Environmental Assessment for the Funding, Procurement, and Operation of NOAA Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems". Federal Register . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  48. ↑ Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (March 2024). "The OAR ORTA UxSRTO is no longer operating". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024.
  49. ↑ Matsushima, Spencer; Dohse, Stacy (18 July 2024). "Contract 1305M223FNCNS0211: Veteran Engineering & Technology LLC". Federal Procurement Data System. Fairfax, Virginia: Department of Government Efficiency / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  50. ↑ Harris, Julie (1 March 2025). "UMaine loses multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant funding from NOAA". Bangor Daily News . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  51. ↑ Miller, Kimberly. "National Weather Service changes maps to read Gulf of America instead of Gulf of Mexico". The Palm Beach Post . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  52. ↑ Sullivan, Brian K. (12 February 2025). "US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Is Renaming Gulf of Mexico". Bloomberg News . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
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