Trump Unleashes Chaos At NOAA, US Weather And Climate Agency

By Lauren Rosenthal and Brian K Sullivan

Feb 8, 2025 (Bloomberg) –The email arrived in US government workers’ inboxes just after 1 a.m. East Coast time on Friday, with the subject line “IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION – URGENT ACTION.”

The message went to some staff members at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the scientific agency best known for providing daily weather forecasts through its National Weather Service. It capped a tumultuous 36-hour period during which the future of the organization’s international collaborations hung in limbo.

Earlier this week, NOAA scientists and staff were told to log and clear all international contacts and communication, according to internal communications seen by Bloomberg News. Some meetings with overseas counterparts were put on hold pending review and approval. Confusion reigned over how workers might troubleshoot in the case of technical glitches.

By Friday, that early morning email indicated the orders concerning global interactions had been relaxed for some employees, at least for the next several weeks.

NOAA didn’t provide a comment Friday.

The agency, an arm of the US Department of Commerce, routinely cooperates with agencies around the world, from the exchange of satellite data to the coordination of aircraft that track hurricanes. But recent events have fueled concern about the future of the agency, regarded as a world leader in weather forecasting. They also echo the experience of several other government departments in the early days of President Donald Trump’s administration, which is seeking drastic cost cuts and job reductions.

“Weather does no…