Neguse, Colorado senators say Musk’s DOGE cuts at NOAA put many Americans at ‘great risk’

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tests its new AI fire monitoring technology, the Next Generation Fire System, at its fire weather testbed in Colorado in June (NOAA photo).

Three Colorado Democrats are demanding answers from President Donald Trump’s administration about its “dismantling” of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after reports of mass terminations at the weather agency last week.

U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse of Lafayette wrote to officials in the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA, raising concerns about “ongoing efforts” by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to downsize the agency and disrupt its operations.

“The work our scientists and civil servants do at NOAA is essential to U.S. national security, as well as the personal safety and daily lives of Americans,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “Dismantling NOAA or compromising its capabilities would put Americans across the country at great risk.”

The letter asks Roderick Anderson, the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general, to investigate DOGE’s attempts to unlawfully halt congressionally-approved spending and programs, and to gain “unauthorized access to IT systems” within NOAA.

NOAA employs more than 10,000 people across dozens of sub-agencies and offices, including the National Weather Service and its network of 120 local weather forecasting stations nationwide. Several major NOAA facilities are located in Colorado, with the largest concentration in Boulder, including the agency’s Space Weather Prediction Center and, in partnership with the University of Colorado, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Around 800 NOAA employees nationwide, most of them “probationary” employees who had recently been hired or promoted, were terminated last week, part of a wave of mass firings carried out by DOGE, an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a Trump megadonor. Another 500 employees departed the agency on Friday after accepting the Trump administration’s controversial “deferred resignation” offer, the New York Times reported.

DOGE’s efforts — which have included attempted shutdowns of congressionally established agencies and a freeze on certain federal funds that has persisted in defiance of court orders — run contrary to long-settled separation-of-powers principles in the U.S. Constitution.

Bennet, Hickenlooper and Neguse called the firings “incredibly shortsighted.” They highlighted the critical work NOAA performs to keep Americans informed about severe weather — including its partnerships with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense — in addition to monitoring drought conditions for farmers and ranchers, coordinating wildfire response, and safeguarding GPS systems and other satellite capabilities.

“The value of NOAA and its programs are clear. Any attempt to unilaterally halt them would constitute egregious overreach of executive power, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of countless Americans,” the lawmakers wrote. “The American people deserve answers about what President Trump and DOGE have done and plan to do with this crucial agency.”

Editor’s note: This story first appeared on Colorado Newsline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.