ICYMI: Senator Murray, Former NOAA Administrator and WA State NOAA Employees Fired for No Reason Slam Trump & Elon’s Destructive Mass Layoffs at NOAA
***PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***
Seattle, WA— Today, on Earth Day, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Western Regional Center, which is NOAA’s largest campus by square footage in the U.S. NOAA has a large footprint in Washington state—where it employs approximately 1,000 people at the Western Regional Center, including non-NOAA contractors. Communities across Washington state rely on the work NOAA does—from providing storm warnings and weather forecasts to protecting and restoring marine resources that are essential to our state’s economy and culture.
On the tour, Senator Murray visited the National Weather Service, met with meteorologists, and saw the cutting-edge equipment they use to forecast the weather and issue severe weather warnings to protect life and property. Senator Murray also met with scientists and researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory who work together to steward our ocean resources and habitat.
“It was a pleasure visiting NOAA’s Western Regional Center today and hearing from scientists about the vital research they do and services they provide that help all of us. Whether they know it or not, every American relies on the work NOAA does—from creating accurate weather forecasts and storm warnings to managing our fisheries. Here in Washington state, our marine resources are essential to our state’s economy and culture—and the experts at NOAA play a critical role in protecting our waterways and habitats,” said Senator Murray.
“But Trump and Elon are mass firing experts at NOAA, terminating research programs, and closing facilities—taking a wrecking ball to NOAA and the work it does that helps our country in so many ways, and Washington state in particular,” continued Senator Murray. “NOAA staffing cuts are threatening years of salmon harvest—a multibillion dollar industry in Washington state. Our seafood industry benefits tremendously from NOAA’s work protecting the Puget Sound, NOAA’s storm warnings save lives and property, and shipping routes are dependent on the weather forecasts NOAA provides, to name just a few examples. This administration’s massive, thoughtless cuts at NOAA are putting all of this at risk—I will continue doing everything I can to raise the alarm, speak out, and drive home how essential NOAA’s work is for communities across America.”
Senator Murray has been outspoken in calling attention to how Trump and Elon’s indiscriminate mass layoffs—including at NOAA—are hurting people across the country and will undermine services Americans everywhere rely on. In March, Senator Murray held a press conference with former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad and NOAA employees in Washington state who were fired through no fault of their own. More than 650 NOAA employees have already been fired for no reason by Trump and Elon, with another round of job cuts targeting more than 1,000 additional employees still expected. In addition to employees who accepted the “Fork in the Road” offer, NOAA could potentially see a combined loss of 20 percent of its staff with this next round of cuts. Before January 2025, NOAA’s workforce exceeded 12,000 people worldwide, with more than 50 percent being scientists and engineers. Probationary employees at NOAA who were fired in February were temporarily reinstated in mid-March after a federal court ruling—but the Supreme Court reversed the reinstatements on April 8th, and probationary workers at NOAA and other federal agencies were re-fired.
Senator Murray has been a leading voice raising the alarm about how Trump and Elon’s mass firings across the federal workforce will undermine services all Americans rely on and hurt families, veterans, small businesses, farmers, and so many others in Washington state and across the country. Senator Murray has spoken out on the Senate floor repeatedly against this administration’s attacks on federal workers, held multiple press conferences with federal workers—including at NOAA—who are being fired for no reason and through no fault of their own, released information about the mass firings, and repeatedly outlined her concerns with the administration’s so-called “Fork in the Road” offer to her constituents in Washington state.
###
