As NOAA Shrinks Under Trump’s Cuts, Employees Speak Out

After 14 years at the agency, the NOAA worker thought they’d retire from the agency. Now, they’ve accepted another job — a lower paying one. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of jeopardizing their new job.

The ultimate fate of NOAA isn’t the employee’s biggest concern. It’s what happens to the “really, really dedicated folks” at the agency, who will have to limp along after the declining budgets and staff.

“These are people who went to college for marine science and have wanted to work for NOAA for their entire lives,” the employee said, and they “will try to maintain the same level of service to the point where they’ll break.”