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

Mar. 15, 2025

Al Roker responded to the news of the mass layoffs at NOAA.Photo:Taylor Hill/WireImage; Getty Images/Stocktrek Images

Taylor Hill/WireImage; Getty Images/Stocktrek Images

Scientists and weather presenters, includingAl 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, theTodayweather anchor, wrote onXin response to the news.

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwellconfirmed in a statementon 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.

Elon Musk.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty

Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty

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 theLos 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 Xto share his concerns about the firings.

Flooding in Kentucky earlier this month.Xinhua/Shutterstock

Xinhua/Shutterstock

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 theAssociated 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.

source: people.com