Doge Gains Entry into NOAA, Gains Control Over IT Systems, Dismisses Senior HR Officer
In a series of recent events, the Trump administration has been under scrutiny for its actions regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), housed within the White House, would help upgrade the nation's aviation system. However, the focus has shifted towards DOGE's access to NOAA's IT systems, which is said to be for ensuring compliance with President Trump's executive order to root out any DEI efforts from government.
The DOGE team has gained access to both the NOAA's parent agency and a NOAA building in Silver Spring, Maryland. This move has raised concerns among lawmakers and employees, with Reps. Jared Huffman and Zoe Lofgren expressing fears that DOGE could be unlawfully gaining access to Americans' private information and interfering with programs that protect American families' safety and jobs.
The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which calls for NOAA to be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories, has added fuel to the fire. Project 2025 also proposes the disbandment of most of NOAA's climate change research.
Neil Jacobs, a candidate for the leadership of the NOAA, has been nominated by President Trump. Jacobs served as acting administrator at NOAA during Trump's first term and was involved in the "Sharpiegate" scandal, where he disclosed that a statement supporting Trump's false claims about Hurricane Dorian's path was drafted by top Commerce and White House officials.
Agencies across government have sent preliminary lists of all employees working in DEI offices to the Office of Personnel Management and the White House. Some U.S. Forest Service employees can no longer access their performance review portal due to the DEI executive order, with the portal displaying an error message saying performance plans are "temporarily unavailable" and "employees and supervisors will not be able to view or complete any actions on performance plans."
Agencies have begun placing employees from DEI offices on administrative leave in preparation for layoffs. The head of NOAA's Office of Human Capital Services (the agency's human resources team) has been placed on administrative leave. Sen. Chris Van Hollen has stated he will look into the matter and "will not stand for it."
The controversy surrounding the administration's actions on NOAA and DEI initiatives continues to unfold, with concerns about potential erasure of mentions of climate change from NOAA systems and websites, and any interference with the agency's National Weather Service. Musk's team, deeply embedded at the Office of Personnel Management, the General Services Administration, and other agencies, remains a significant player in these developments.
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