There’s A Storm Brewing At NOAA

Significant staff cuts across multiple federal agencies ordered by the Trump administration shortly after his January inauguration were still unfolding as this issue of BoatU.S. Magazine went to press on March 13. Among marine-related government agencies, immediate layoffs were implemented at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others.

Of all these cuts, none will more directly affect recreational boaters going into the spring boating season than the some-800 staff members dismissed at NOAA in February. Among those fired included meteorologists, computer storm-modeling engineers, and hurricane hunter pilots who fly into storms to collect meteorological data. NOAA’s website states that more than half of its 12,000 personnel are scientists and engineers. There are 122 National Weather Service forecast offices across the nation.

“A lot of offices are understaffed already, so there’s potential for forecasts and storm warnings to get less reliable,” former NOAA Acting Administrator Timothy Gallaudet told BoatU.S. Magazine. Gallaudet also served as Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere during the first Trump administration and is a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral with a doctorate in oceanography. A boater himself, he says rapidly developing potent summer storms are of great concern to him. He explains that, when a morning forecast for a chance of afternoon thunderstorms progresses to a severe thunderstorm watch, and then a warning (meaning the storm is imminent), it means that NOAA scientists are interpreting the meteorological data and issuing those watches and warnings. “At understaffed offices, there’s an increased chance of a warning being missed,” he says. “That’s where the boater has to be worried about finding themselves in a possible life-threatening situation.”

Gallaudet expects boaters to notice the effects of the cuts this summer. “We’ll start finding out when certain products aren’t delivered, or not delivered to the level of quality Americans expect,” he says. Beyond weather forecasting, Gallaudet warns that boaters also should be concerned how the cuts will affect other NOAA services. Here are some examples:

• For anglers, the science behind recreational fisheries management, which determines sustainable catch limits, is expected to slow down, potentially creating a lag in updating regulations, news, and laws.
• For recreational boaters and divers, NOAA maintains mooring buoys in 11 of the nation’s 17 designated marine sanctuaries to discourage anchoring on coral reefs or delicate seabeds. Those may not be maintained this year because that National Marine Sanctuary staff was also cut.
• For boaters relying on info about local tides, currents, and water levels along shorelines and inlets, NOAA staff shortages could degrade those forecasts, which are predictive models requiring professional maintenance, resulting in a degradation in the reliability and quality of those forecasts.

It’s worth noting that the “probationary” employees who were fired had that designation only because they were in the first two years of their jobs. Probationary status applies to recent hires but also to longer-term workers who’ve been recently promoted, automatically putting them into a temporary “probation” period. Among those more recent hires are contractors with established careers and extensive expertise. Many federal workers are fighting these cuts and layoffs in court.

“Some probationary staff had been contractors for over a decade, so they had institutional expertise. That’s why they were hired – because they’re good,” Gallaudet says.

At press time, The Associated Press reported that NOAA was preparing to lay off more than 1,000 additional employees in a second round of firings, ultimately reducing the agency by some 25%, including buyouts. The Trump administration set a March 13 deadline for submitting reduction-in-force plans, and it was unknown if or when any additional layoffs would take effect.

On March 24, 2025, BoatU.S. manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy sent a letter to Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to the U.S. House of Representatives, on behalf of more than 725,000 BoatU.S. members, expressing concern over the Trump administration’s efforts to indiscriminately reduce NOAA staff and budgets.

In part, the letter says: “On behalf of our members nationwide, we are concerned that indiscriminate reductions of NOAA agency staff and funding would undermine the safety of boaters on the water and reduce opportunities for enjoyment of marine environments for all. Accurate weather forecasts, updated charts and well managed resources are vital for the safety and well-being of recreational boating activities across the nation.”

Read the full letter here.