Al Roker Blasts Decision to Fire Hundreds of Workers at U.S. Weather Agency. Here’s Why He Says It ‘Cannot Be Good’

In the most recent wave of federal cuts by the Trump administration, hundreds of people from an agency that tracks dangerous storm systems and monitors climate change have been fired. 

Scientists and weather presenters, including Al Roker, have responded to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) layoffs with anger and concern for the safety of Americans. 

“Going into the severe weather and hurricane season, this cannot be good,” Roker, the Today weather anchor, wrote on X in response to the news. 

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell confirmed in a statement on Thursday, Feb. 27, that at least 880 employees were being terminated from the agency that, according to its website, provides vital information about environmental shifts that impact human life and natural resources.

More layoffs are possible on Friday, Feb. 28, according to CNN. The layoffs are seen as a continuation of the Department of Government Efficiency directive by billionaire Elon Musk to fire thousands of federal employees. 

Many scientists and weather experts, including Roker, have issued warnings about the decision.

“Why it matters: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for providing weather watches and warnings, monitoring and studying Earth's climate, as well as operating weather satellites and protecting marine life,” Roker, 70, continued on X. 

While reports attribute most of the cuts to NOAA employees on probationary status, Tom Di Liberto has worked at NOAA for years, according to the Los Angeles Times. He started at the agency in 2010 as a contractor before he was hired full-time in 2023.

“We weren’t just hired — a lot of us were working with NOAA for a very long period,” Di Liberto told the paper of the firings. Like others, he's said he received a termination that said he was being let go “because of his ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the agency’s current needs."

The language was in direct contrast to the positive performance reviews he’d received, he added.

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Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, took to X to share his concerns about the firings. 

“The fact of the matter is that the private sector, as it presently exists, simply cannot quickly spin up to fill any void left by substantial dismantling of NOAA and/or the NWS,” he said. “The now-confirmed and rumored additional cuts to come at NOAA/NWS are spectacularly short-sighted, and ultimately will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters.”

In recent years, hurricanes, flooding and severe winter storms have cost many American lives — NOAA continued to alert Americans. The same happened during the recent flooding in Kentucky, which resulted in eight deaths, according to the Associated Press. 

“The big picture: NOAA's missions require staff to work around the clock to monitor dangerous weather, earthquakes that could cause tsunamis, and other hazards,” Roker wrote.