A state of disarray has engulfed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a leading scientific agency, as key personnel have been hastily dismissed and then promptly rehired. The agency is also facing cutbacks in essential weather forecasting operations, and an introduction of an insecure email server that led to employees being overwhelmed with spam emails, including indecent ones.

These disruptions are part of President Donald Trump’s agenda to downsize the federal government workforce, with over a thousand NOAA employees already dismissed or resigning, and another thousand expected to be removed. This accounts for around 20% of NOAA’s staff.

In addition to conducting critical climate and ocean research, NOAA also hosts the National Weather Service (NWS), providing essential weather forecasts to both private sector providers and the public. Concerns have been raised that the Trump administration’s cuts, led by a department known as “Doge” created by Elon Musk, could jeopardize public safety by slowing down the delivery of critical warnings for natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or “Doge,” has been forced to reverse some firings, including those of personnel involved in hurricane tracking missions. While some employees initially fired are expecting reinstatement, and others within the NWS have been instructed to disregard their termination notices, there is still a negative impact on data collection operations. The agency has reduced the number of weather balloons it launches from six US locations—they are crucial for collecting weather information for forecasts.

The tumult at NOAA has been highlighted by the introduction of a non-secure email server used by “Doge” to contact employees from the federal office of personnel management. This decision led to staff receiving numerous spam emails in January, including lewd content.

Although security measures have been improved, employees have expressed concerns over the growing instability within the agency.

“I just can’t believe it,” said one employee, who was dismissed but might be reinstated. “This people over at Doge think they’re better at everything, but they can’t even secure an email list. They’re firing people and then having to rehire them, cutting contracts without a clue … it’s outrageous.”

Former NOAA staff members and Democratic lawmakers have protested outside the agency’s headquarters in Maryland, warning that these cuts endanger the quality of vital weather and environmental data, as well as regulatory work critical to preventing overfishing in our oceans.

“Chaos would be a nice way to describe it; it’s more like incompetent chaos,” said Andrew Rosenberg, who used to be the deputy director of NOAA’s national marine fisheries service.

Protests highlight fears that the administration’s actions could have long-term consequences on public safety and the agency’s critical work.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/01/trump-cuts-noaa-spam-emails