Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, and the wrecking ball it's taking to the government workforce, has made its way to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Thousands of NOAA employees received "deferred resignation" offers from the Trump administration last week and now face an uncertain future. Project 2025 calls for NOAA to "be broken up and downsized," while adding NOAA's "functions could be provided commercially, likely at lower cost and higher quality." NOAA manages the National Weather Service. Meteorologists like 9NEWS' Chris Bianchi use NWS data, models and guidance. Bianchi said many of the top meteorologists in the country work at NWS. "I would go beyond to say it's like a school losing a principal. This would be borderline like a plane losing its pilot," Bianchi said of breaking up NOAA. Bianchi is very familiar with how NOAA and NWS operate, as he frequently uses their data, models and guidance to keep viewers safe. "That tornado warning is not issued by me, it is not issued by the 9NEWS weather department, it's not issued by the TV enterprise. It's not issued by anybody. It's issued by the Weather Service. So who would issue a tornado warning?" he said. Bianchi added NWS is viewed as the gold standard for weather forecasting across the country. Without their knowledgeable meteorologists, years of data, equipment and models, it would be a free-for-all of incorrect and unsafe information, he said. "It would elevate the voices of 18-year-olds who like to hype and forecast out of their moms' basements. That's what would happen," he continued. "We live in an era now where loud equals views and loud equals attention. It's not necessarily merit-based, it's more loud-based." Former NOAA administrator Craig McLean is standing up for the NOAA employees who can't speak out against the downsizing out of fear of retaliation. "I feel a personal responsibility to be offering my voice," McLean said. He has a few words to describe the DOGE-led efforts. "Malicious, vindictive, and overly aggressive," he said. While the Project 2025 playbook says NOAA is not "useless," McLean believes the agency has done a poor job explaining what they do to the public.
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