Elon Musk's DOGE Challenged as White House Rehires NWS Staff After Disaster

The Trump administration is set to restore staffing levels at the National Weather Service (NWS) following cuts implemented under former DOGE chief Elon Musk. The approval to hire hundreds of new employees comes amid criticism of the agency’s performance during recent severe weather events.

New Hires Approved for NWS The National Weather Service has received the green light to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians, aimed at filling the vacancies created by previous layoffs. These layoffs were part of Musk's strategy when he was at the helm of the agency. Additionally, the hiring plans include 126 positions designated as "front-line mission critical," which were previously approved by NOAA officials. The necessity for these positions has become even more apparent following tragic events in Texas, where flooding resulted in at least 120 fatalities, among them 35 children, drawing scrutiny towards NWS's capabilities. The drastic cuts saw a reduction in the workforce by more than 550 employees, reducing NWS’s total staff to below 4,000, which raised concerns about the agency's preparedness for the impending hurricane season.

Frustration Among Remaining Staff While NWS employees have expressed cautious optimism regarding the recent developments, there is still notable frustration. Employees tasked with additional duties due to the layoffs have voiced dissatisfaction over the perceived futility of losing their colleagues, with one NOAA official stating, “How much time/money is it going to cost to train a bunch of new people when we had already-trained people in place?” This change marks a broader trend reflecting the rollback of several controversial initiatives tied to Musk's leadership of the federal government. In an earlier announcement, the Office of Personnel Management discontinued Musk’s email initiative that required federal employees to log their weekly achievements.