A group of Democratic lawmakers sharply questioned National Weather Service leadership Wednesday over the fallout from mass firings in early 2025, warning that the loss of hundreds of forecasters may have jeopardized public safety amid extreme weather in recent months.
NWS official Taylor Jordan testified before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, where several lawmakers, including Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), pushed Jordan on possible staffing shortages caused by the Department of Government Efficiency at the beginning of last year.
Roughly 600 employees were pushed out during the layoffs, many through early retirement and probationary firings tied to the DOGE efforts — a move that lawmakers said left critical gaps in staffing at local forecast offices.
Meng pointed to the scale of the cuts and questioned whether they were a mistake, noting that “roughly 600 employees of the National Weather Service were lost” in the purge of “front-line, critical employees, including our meteorologists.”
She pressed for assurances that the agency would not repeat what they described as “arbitrary firings,” warning that staffing instability at local forecast offices “could have had a very negative effect on public safety, including the loss of lives.”
Ivey, whose district includes federal weather facilities near Washington, D.C., described the human toll of the layoffs after speaking with affected employees during a protest last year. Many, he said, were “crushed,” having “put decades of their careers towards service to the American people,” only to be forced out during what he called the “DOGE era.”
The lawmaker questioned the rehiring process and whether those dismissed would be prioritized, arguing that experienced staff with “institutional knowledge” should be first in line as the agency rebuilds.
Dean took aim at both the firings and the subsequent rehiring push, calling the cycle inefficient and costly.
After noting that hundreds were forced out only for the agency to begin hiring again, the lawmaker described the process as “chaos,” adding, “I wouldn’t find it to be efficient. I would find it wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive.”
In response, Jordan emphasized that the Trump administration is focused on rebuilding staffing levels and maintaining public safety.
The agency has been approved to hire more than 400 new forecasters, with more than 200 already receiving offers and about 190 onboarded.
DHS: 100,000 EMPLOYEES UNPAID AMID SHUTDOWN
Jordon said all weather forecast offices remain in operation, even as lawmakers raised concerns about vacancies and gaps in overnight coverage.
Still, the hearing underscored lingering bipartisan frustration over the 2025 cuts and their aftermath, with lawmakers signaling continued scrutiny as Congress weighs future funding for the NWS.