Weather Service Rehires Hundreds After Previous DOGE Layoffs
The National Weather Service (NWS) has received approval to rehire approximately 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians, reversing major staffing cuts earlier this year linked to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
The rehiring effort, announced Monday, includes 126 mission-critical positions designated to restore front-line forecasting capacity in the nation’s weather offices. These roles were previously approved but left unfilled as budget cuts and early retirement incentives decimated core forecasting teams in early 2025 under the Trump administration’s DOGE-driven cost‑cutting reforms, which led to over 550 job losses and a total NWS workforce drop below 4,000 employees.
Employees greeted the announcement with cautious optimism but voiced concern over the loss of institutional knowledge. Former staff and internal sources warn that “training a bunch of new people when we had already‑trained people in place” will be costly and time‑consuming. Many veteran NWS offices reportedly have vacancy rates exceeding 20%, limiting services such as overnight shifts and weather balloon launches.
Experts and lawmakers have linked the staffing shortages to challenges during recent extreme weather events. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into whether NWS vacancies contributed to delays or inadequacies during deadly July flooding in Central Texas, where hundreds of lives were lost.
NOAA officials say the hiring hiatus will be lifted for “public safety exemptions,” allowing NWS to actively recruit for critical roles despite a broader federal hiring freeze through mid‑July 2025.
The re‑staffing push aims to shore up forecasting operations ahead of hurricane and tornado season. Scientific groups have stressed the urgency of rebuilding operational capacity amid increasing climate-related threats.
