The Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency slashed jobs earlier this year at the National Weather Service, cutting roughly 600 positions in the name of combating government waste.
Now Neil Jacobs, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees NWS, says that he’ll make “staffing the Weather Service offices a top priority” if he’s confirmed.
Jacobs’ statement came during a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, as the administration has faced significant backlash over the NWS staffing cuts given the deadly flooding in Texas. A New York Times report this weekend raised concerns about whether staffing shortages inhibited NWS’s communication about flash flood warnings with local officials.
While former NWS officials told The Times that rain forecasts were as accurate as they could be under the circumstances, they noted that the weather service may have lost experienced staff who could have helped relay information about the flash flood warnings overnight.
“It’s really important for the people to be there because they have relationships with the people in the local community,” Jacobs said during his Senate testimony.
