More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) building in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, protesting sweeping layoffs imposed by the Trump administration. According to two current employees, the cuts affected more than 10% of the scientific workforce at the facility.
The rally was spearheaded by former U.S. Congressman David Skaggs, a Democrat from Colorado, after whom the NOAA building in Boulder is named. Skaggs, initially expecting only around 100 participants, was surprised by the large turnout, with police estimating attendance at over 1,000.
Last week, the administration reportedly terminated over 800 NOAA employees nationwide, according to Congressional sources. At the Boulder rally, two current employees—who requested anonymity out of fear of losing their jobs—estimated that about 10% of the local NOAA workforce was impacted.
Scientists at the protest warned that the layoffs could jeopardize crucial services, including space weather forecasts that protect satellite operations and power grids, as well as life-saving wildfire, tornado, and hurricane warnings.
Susan McLean, a retired NOAA manager, expressed concerns that abrupt dismissals would make it harder to attract top scientific talent to federal positions. “We used to be able to recruit people despite lower pay because they believed in our mission and knew the public valued it,” McLean said.
She contrasted the current layoffs with federal workforce reductions under President Bill Clinton, which she said were conducted carefully over several years with input from agency managers.
“Those cuts were made with a scalpel,” she said. “This is being done with a wrecking ball—indiscriminate and reckless.”
Boulder, a Democratic stronghold, has long been a center for scientific research, and many residents see NOAA’s work as vital. Protester Brenna Raeder, holding a sign that read “National Weather Service Saves Lives,” voiced her frustration.
“This is insanity,” she said. “Defunding these vital services, including wildfire forecasts that save lives here in Colorado, is reckless and dangerous.”
Demonstrators emphasized that defending scientific research and public safety should be a bipartisan effort.
NOAA declined to respond to requests for comment on the layoffs or the number of employees affected in Boulder.
Meanwhile, in Silver Spring, Maryland—home to another major NOAA facility—another 1,000 protesters gathered, calling for the reinstatement of dismissed scientists.
“NOAA is critical to so many aspects of our lives, from safe seafood to hurricane forecasts,” said protester Mike Tidwell. “We need to keep this agency strong.”
The layoffs align with the goals outlined in Project 2025, a set of conservative policy proposals influencing the Trump administration’s restructuring efforts. The initiative has called for NOAA’s downsizing, arguing that it plays a central role in what it describes as the “climate change alarm industry” and poses a threat to economic growth.
As protests continue, concerns mount over the future of NOAA and its role in public safety and environmental research.
(Reuters)