After Job Cuts, the National Weather Service Is Hiring Back Workers

Following aggressive federal job cuts, the National Weather Service (NWS) has received permission to rehire for 450 roles that include radar technicians, meteorologists, and hydrologists, according to news reports.

The current administration slashed jobs and offered early retirement incentives across the NWS earlier this year as part of a government-wide effort to reduce spending. CNN reported that since President Trump entered office, the NWS has lost more than 550 staff members.

This spring, five former NWS directors warned that shedding staff at the weather agency could cause unnecessary deaths due to severe weather. And after a series of natural disasters this summer, including the deadly Texas floods, the NWS’ job reductions came under further scrutiny.

If all 450 new positions are filled, the NWS would almost be restored to its pre-cut staffing levels, The New York Times reported. That hiring target includes 126 jobs that the agency previously received permission to hire for.

Congressmen Eric Sorensen and Mike Flood lauded the decision. Sorensen, an Illinois Democrat, and Flood, a Nebraska Republican, have worked together on the Weather Workforce Improvement Act, a bill that seeks to protect NWS employees from future cuts.

Sorensen, in a joint statement with Flood, said that “Hundreds of unfilled positions have caused NWS offices across the country to cancel weather balloon launches, forgo overnight staffing, and force remaining meteorologists to overwork themselves.”

“While I welcome this overdue news to hire more meteorologists, we need to pass our bipartisan bill to ensure these new hires are permanent,” he added.

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