Lawmakers say 450 meteorologists and other experts to be hired
- Hiring turnaround would restore most of positions cut by DOGE
- NWS job vacancies drew scrutiny amid summer of extreme weather
Layoffs and early retirement "buyouts" had reduced the NWS workforce by more than 550 positions from levels before Trump's second term, leaving fewer than 4,000 employees remaining, according to CNN.
Thursday's announcement of a reversal comes during a summer of weather extremes, including
flash floods, opens new tab that ravaged Texas Hill Country last month, claiming at least 137 lives. The devastation raised questions about whether job vacancies at local NWS offices were a factor in the scale of the disaster.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged the Commerce Department's acting inspector general last month to investigate whether staffing vacancies at the NWS's San Antonio office contributed to "delays, gaps, or diminished accuracy" in forecasts of the flooding.