Trump Forced To Do A U-Turn

The National Weather Service (NWS) is scrambling to hire 126 new staff members many of them meteorologists after a wave of layoffs left key offices critically understaffed just as hurricane season begins. The rush to fill these roles follows a turbulent few months inside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the NWS and recently cut hundreds of positions in an effort to reduce government size.

Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, confirmed that the agency is now actively working to fill these vital roles. The positions being advertised include meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists (a category that also includes meteorologists), and electronics technicians tasked with maintaining essential radar and forecasting equipment.

According to NWS spokesperson Erica Grow Cei, NOAA leadership is moving quickly to stabilize operations. The agency is reassigning staff to offices with the most urgent needs and plans to bypass the broader federal hiring freeze to advertise a limited number of permanent, mission-critical positions. These hires are expected to reinforce operations in vulnerable, storm-prone regions like Houston and Miami, where staffing levels have dipped to dangerously low levels.

This pivot is occurring under heightened pressure from within the federal government, and it follows a broader unraveling that began with former senior adviser Elon Musk’s exit. Musk had spearheaded cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump-era initiative aimed at slashing what were deemed redundant federal roles, including within NOAA. His departure left a leadership vacuum and growing operational gaps at a time when emergency preparedness is critical.

Musk’s departure came just weeks before the start of hurricane season, and sources inside the administration say his abrupt exit forced President Trump to make a political and operational U-turn. With public concern rising over FEMA’s readiness and NOAA’s diminished capacity, the administration was left in a difficult position. Officials close to the matter said Trump was “furious” about the optics and the timing and has since ordered top agencies to fast-track fixes to avoid further backlash.

The situation inside NOAA reached a flashpoint when an internal memo leaked last month, revealing just how dire the staffing shortages had become. The document outlined immediate plans to reassign remaining personnel to regions with the highest risk of severe weather events, warning that without intervention, forecasting and emergency support would be dangerously compromised.

Now, with the Atlantic hurricane season officially underway and up to 10 major hurricanes predicted, the pressure is on to ensure weather stations across the country are fully equipped and staffed. Trump, who previously celebrated the agency’s downsizing as a win for government efficiency, has been forced to recalibrate calling for rapid rehiring and stabilization of frontline weather services amid growing public scrutiny and internal dissent.

The dramatic reversal highlights how the administration’s cost-cutting push once applauded by its base has collided with the practical demands of emergency response, leaving key institutions racing to recover as the nation faces the growing threat of climate-driven disasters.