The cuts come after Howard Lutnick was sworn in as secretary of the Commerce Department, which oversees NOAA, last week.
Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who represents communities from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, called the firings a “betrayal of the American people, and it will not stand.”
He took aim at the Department of Government Efficiency, the newly formed entity behind the Trump administration’s slashing of the federal workforce, which is overseen by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
“Musk’s sham mission is bringing vital programs to a screeching halt,” said Huffman, the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “People nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information. Purging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives.”
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat who represents communities in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, told KQED she learned of the firings when her staff received a call from a NOAA employee who monitors tsunami threats.
“This is really heedless firing, and unfortunately, we don’t even know how many people have been fired,” said Lofgren, the ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. “We need to know what’s coming at us so that we can prepare and have people safe to evacuate if they need to.”
Lofgren said she and other lawmakers plan to fight the firings and pursue litigation.
“This is not the way to run a government,” she said. “If they want to change the government, they should do it properly by going in, repealing the law if they don’t like it, and passing a new one.”
Behringer, the NWS Bay Area union steward, said he is reminded that he took the same oath as the president to defend the Constitution, which he takes seriously.
“We are sticking by that for now as long as we can, but as far as the union is concerned and what will happen with these appeals in the coming days or with pushing back against these illegal terminations, we will just have to wait and see,” he said.
