Photo: Christian Martinez/Office of the Governor.
As if predicting weather isn’t difficult enough, the Trump administration’s firing of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will present even more challenges to predicting natural disasters putting the nation at risk.
In an effort to eliminate so-called bloat and waste in the federal government, the administration has eliminated thousands of jobs and started cancelling property leases with little regard to the long-term impact on the United States.
It’s not just weather on the chopping block; the current administration is also discussing ending disaster relief funding and response at the federal level.
During the campaign, the far right pushed an election lie that Democrats somehow controlled the weather, and supporters of Trump flooded campaign events and reiterated the falsehoods.
Political games? Funding delayed in southwest Virginia
The Trump administration has frozen millions of dollars in previously allocated Federal Emergency Management funds for 16 states. It has not responded to a disaster declaration request by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for flooding that resulted in four fatalities and caused significant damage in southwest Virginia in February.
Lawmakers have accused President Donald Trump of playing political games with states who did not vote for him for president, and recovery efforts in the Commonwealth have been delayed due to the president dragging his feet on the requested declaration.
Trump hasn’t put a lot of faith in the future of FEMA; he’s said he’d like to see the agency reformed or eliminated and allow states to handle their own disaster relief.
Beyond politics: NOAA monitors natural disasters
The National Weather Service is part of NOAA and keeps its eye on extreme weather including hurricanes, tornados and wildfires.
After weeks of uncertainty, hundreds of people were terminated last week, according to a union representing the employees, and more cuts are likely soon. Managers have allegedly been asked to submit plans by March 11 to downsize the agency even further.
NWS had more than 600 job vacancies in 2025, according to some reports, and the recent cuts will likely impact the amount of information provided to local meteorologists and phone applications directly impacting the safety of all Americans when a natural disaster situation arises.
“Leaving NOAA understaffed will inevitably lead to additional chaos and confusion beyond what we’ve had over the last several weeks and is going to be a negative impact on people’s lives,” said Craig McClean, former NOAA director of research.
The American Meteorological Society released a statement saying the government workforce cuts in science are “likely to cause irreparable harm” and will “have far-reaching consequences.”
“To ensure the continued success of the enterprise and the American people who depend upon it, the AMS urges strong support for NOAA and the other federal science agencies and extreme caution in altering federal roles and responsibilities within the weather enterprise.”
FEMA forced to address rumors started by Trump during campaign
The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a website to deal with the influx of rumors spreading in the aftermath of widespread hurricane damage during the presidential campaign cycle.
Trump, on the campaign trail in hurricane-ravaged states, falsely asserted that the agency took money from disaster relief to house migrants and said there were no funds left for Americans.
In fact, a fact check completed by CNN found the disaster relief fund had $8.5 billion remaining.
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Crystal Graham
