Around 1,000 protesters gathered at David Skaggs Research Center in Boulder yesterday to express their displeasure with recent layoffs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Last week, approximately 800 employees in the agency were laid off while an estimated 500 took a deferred resignation that allows them to continue receiving pay and benefits through September.
NOAA oversees sub agencies including the National Weather Service. The agency has three missions: to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean and coasts; to share that knowledge and information with others; and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Two NOAA scientists who spoke with Reuters said the terminations may jeopardize weather forecasts that are used to predict power grid disruptions, satellite operations, and severe weather patterns like tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes.
Approximately 800 people work at the Boulder facility. Reuters reported that current employees estimate about ten percent of the employees in Boulder were laid off in the last week. The Denver Gazette reports about 50 people were laid off from the facility according to current employee estimates. The 800 individuals working in Boulder include federal employees and contractors. The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s effort to scale back the size and scope of the federal government in coordination with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and consulting from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Retired employees of NOAA joined the protests along with recently laid off employees and those who are currently employed with the agency.
Paul Hemmick was a recently laid-off NOAA employee who relocated to Colorado from Florida. He worked as a pilot for the agency before relocating, but had worked in an administrative role for the last four months at the Boulder facility. Since Hemmick only worked in his new role for four months, he was subject to a probationary period. The government layoffs have focused primarily on probationary employees first.
Hemmick told the Colorado Sun, “I’m a 20-year NOAA employee. I had to turn in my badge, pack up my box, and leave. With no severance, no nothing. Kicked to the curb. What I’m upset about is that half the country thinks we’re villains because we’re federal workers. We’re people, we have families. It’s awful.”
Protesters held signs with messages supporting the recently terminated federal employees. One sign said, “NOAA saves lives. Tornadoes are apolitical.”
