Sens. Klobuchar and Smith question Pres. Trump layoffs at NOAA

(FOX 9) - Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are among a group of lawmakers sharing concerns with the Trump administration about layoffs of staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Cuts at NOAA

The backstory:

Last week, the NOAA reportedly began making cuts affecting as much as ten percent of its workforce. The cuts are part of President Trump's push to reign in federal spending.

However, critics worry that the cuts could jeopardize the NOAA and National Weather Service's tracking of severe storms. The NOAA helps monitor hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and tsunamis among other critical services.

A former NOAA official warned the Associated Press the cuts could "compromise" the agency's ability to do its job. However, a current spokesperson for NOAA said the agency will "continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission."

Concerns about impact on Great Lakes area

Dig deeper:

Democratic lawmakers from the Great Lakes region, including Sens. Klobuchar and Smith, are expressing concerns about the downstream impacts of the cuts. In a letter to Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, who oversees day-to-day operators for the NOAA, the senators are requesting more information about how the layoffs will effect services.

The letter specifically points to the impact of the cuts on the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, which the senators explain "provides critical information for resource use and management decisions, including information on algal blooms and hypoxia, invasive species, ice cover and shipping navigability, and storm surges and coastal flooding."

The letter continues: "We are deeply concerned that the layoffs at NOAA will harm these critical initiatives. The staffing reductions have already required the GLERL, for example, to take an ‘indefinite hiatus’ from its public communications, depriving the public of critical information such as what to do during a flood warning and how to stay safe in the extreme cold. When these communications go dark, the public suffers."

What's next:

The senators are asking Hann to detail the number of cuts at the NOAA under her leadership, including the exact cuts at each organization serving the Great Lakes region.

The lawmakers are also demanding Hann explain what services will be cut and how the NOAA plans to maintain these services.

The senators are demanding the information be made available in the next two weeks.

Full letter:

The full letter from the group of senators is available here and below: