STORY: :: Hundreds gather to protest mass layoffs
at the US weather forecasting agency
:: March 3, 2025
:: Alice M-A, Protester
“To the people who have worked for NOAA, who are career employees. Thank you for your service. We couldn’t know all of the things that we do about the world around us. Thank you for your curiosity and for your optimism and I am so sick of all the bullies in this world who are taking advantage of the kind of people who we are and who you are.”
:: Silver Spring, Maryland
:: Hendrick Simoes, Former NOAA employee
“NOAA impacts every aspect of people’s lives in America, right. I think a lot of people know NOAA for the weather warnings and hurricane tracking and tornado warnings. And that is all super important. That stuff saves lives. And don’t get me wrong, that is going to be impacted. I think we live in a less safer society now, you know, and we’re a lot more vulnerable to extreme weather now because of these impacts.”
In Silver Spring, Maryland, demonstrators rallied under the slogan “Save NOAA Now!”, calling for the reinstatement of terminated workers.
The layoffs, which affected hundreds of NOAA employees last week, come as the agency continues to provide essential weather forecasting and hurricane warnings for the country.
