Trump Admin Targets 800 NOAA Employees for Termination Orders

What Happened?

Around 800 federal employees from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been targeted for termination orders by the Trump administration.

More layoffs are reportedly possible which could cost the environmental agency more than a thousand employees.

According to CNN, a NOAA source revealed the people tasked with carrying out the terminations made it difficult for others to know who was affected within the agency.

'The Agency finds you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs,' the terminated NOAA workers’ letters stated.

Some exemptions were given to critical positions such as meteorologists while probationary employees were part of layoffs.

A percentage of employees are protected by The National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO).

The workers’ union reportedly reached out to consult with affected employees.

Primarily, 10% of the agency workforce was impacted.

Why it Matters

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has risen.

The U.S. Labor Department announced last week that unemployment claims reached 242,000.

A 22,000 application increase from what analysts originally projected would be filed.

The agency stated it's the largest weekly spike in claims in more than four months as economic uncertainty and mass layoffs have impacted the U.S.

President Donald Trump issued a sweeping memorandum that instructed federal agencies to develop plans to eliminate employee positions.

Experts project that the expected layoffs ordered by Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will soon appear in the report.

Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired from other agencies as part of federal downsizing efforts.

But a federal judge in San Francisco last week determined the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that had sued to stop the massive actions.

Many of these workers hang in limbo as career officials with civil service protection are a part of the administration's next targets.

How it Affects You

The Trump administration and DOGE have set ambitious goals of cutting at least $1 trillion from the $6.7 trillion federal budget.

Some experts however have reportedly claimed that these mass job cuts aren’t expected to yield government savings towards that goal.

DOGE still estimates it has saved $55 billion so far.

While exemptions have been placed on some federal positions, as many as 200,000 federal employees are still set to be affected.

Lawsuits may continue to pile up surrounding these actions until the Higher Court issues an opinion on constitutionality.