With Hurricane Season Here, Moskowitz Joins Florida Colleagues Pushing Administration to Reinstate Workers at NOAA and the National Weather Service

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) joined the rest of Florida’s Democratic Congressional delegation urging the Trump Administration to restore all cuts and lift all hiring freezes at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS).

In their letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, the group emphasized that robust investment in weather forecasting and disaster preparedness is “essential to safeguarding our national security, economic resilience, and the lives and property of our constituents.” They warned that cutting critical positions like meteorologists and weather forecasters “poses a serious and immediate risk to hurricane preparedness and emergency response efforts,” especially amidst what’s expected to be an above-average hurricane season, and rather than letting these cuts stand, they urge the Administration to “ensure that both NOAA and NWS are equipped with the personnel and resources needed to carry out their critical mission” by reversing workforce reductions.

“When I was Director of Emergency Management in Florida, I saw firsthand the critical role that NOAA and the National Weather Service play preparing for hurricanes and other disasters,” said Congressman Moskowitz. “Putting these agencies at risk puts public safety at risk. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation to fill critical vacancies at NOAA and the NWS, and it’s why I’m proud to join my Florida colleagues pushing to lift hiring freezes and restore all cuts at the agencies. With hurricane season already here, Florida can’t afford for NOAA and the National Weather Service to be anything but fully equipped with what they need.”

According to reports, the National Weather Service has lost more than 550 employees this year due to layoffs and early retirements at the hands of the Trump Administration’s DOGE. In Central and South Florida alone, National Weather Service offices have been up to nearly 40% understaffed, including at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which has been short five specialists. With such staffing shortages, some agency offices across the country have cut back on hours, no longer staff their overnight shirt, or are even missing a chief meteorologist.

The group’s letter to the Administration was led by Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25) and also joined on by Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24).

A former Director of Emergency Management for the state of Florida, Moskowitz recently introduced bipartisan legislation to speed up the hiring process at the National Weather Service and give its Director temporary, direct authority to fill critical vacancies. Last month, Moskowitz introduced amendments to the House Republican budget bill that would have protected the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and NOAA from harmful cuts. Republicans blocked his amendments from coming to the House floor for consideration with their bill.

Moskowitz previously led more than twenty of his House colleagues pushing for the reinstatement of laid-off workers at the National Weather Service. Their letter to Office of Management & Budget Director Russell Vought and Acting Administrator of the General Services Administration Stephen Ehikian warned that failing to overturn workforce cuts would “weaken disaster preparedness, put more lives at risk, and increase the financial burden on recovering communities.”

For the group’s full letter to Secretary Lutnick, click HERE.

###