"Everyone in the United States relies on NOAA in their daily lives whether they realize it or not, something that will come into focus for many in the weeks and months ahead."

T he Trump Administration has begun firing probationary employees at the federal agency tasked with overseeing weather prediction and climate research, raising concerns about the

The two rounds of departures together represent about 10 percent of NOAA’s roughly 13,000 employees. A spokesman for the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he supports DOGE, but also praised the National Hurricane Center and said it will probably be "OK."

Current and former agency officials and lawmakers said the cuts could have major impacts on Americans and the economy, compromising important functions.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was hit with significant layoffs this week, with hundreds of employees terminated in another round of job cuts spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration that has sparked backlash from many weather experts.

The cuts came just before a separate wave of departures was expected under the Trump administration’s so-called deferred resignation program.

The agency that leads most of the government’s work on ocean and coastal health as well as climate research is one among those being targeted by Trump.