Mark Eakin, a recently retired NOAA veteran who ran its Coral Reef Watch program for many years, told the Miami Herald he was alarmed by the “indiscriminate” slashes throughout the agency, which oversees everything from cutting-edge climate research to day-to-day operations that farmers and fishers rely on, as well as life-saving weather warnings.

“Hundreds of federal employees at the NOAA were fired yesterday as part of the DOGE cuts to the federal workforce. 1/3rd of the nation’s GDP is supported by NOAA services – the impact of these cuts will be felt nationwide,” warned Rep. Lindsay Cross.

The Trump Administration’s slashing of the federal workforce has hit the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center. Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE,