Democrats on Capitol Hill, and sources familiar with the situation, said the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has been inside the offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The White House DOGE team is a cost-cutting initiative created by President Trump to find ways to trim federal spending. Billionaire Elon Musk is in charge of it, categorized as a “special government employee.”
Former NOAA officials told CBS News that current employees have been told to expect a 50% reduction in staff and budget cuts of 30%.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who represents the state where NOAA is headquartered, said his office is investigating DOGE’s work on NOAA, which includes such agencies as the National Weather Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
“Hearing reports that Musk’s cronies are targeting NOAA — infiltrating key systems & locking out career employees,” Van Hollen posted on X Tuesday. “NOAA is vital for weather forecasting, scientific research & more. Their critical work saves lives. My team and I are looking into this & we will not stand for it.”
Congressional aides told CBS News that lawmakers have received multiple complaints about DOGE staff coming into NOAA offices.
Former NOAA officials, who spoke directly with current staffers, confirmed to CBS News they saw DOGE visit NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Hoover Building, in Washington, D.C., where NOAA’s parent agency, the U.S. Commerce Department is located.
“They walked through security like it didn’t apply to them,” Andrew Rosenberg, a former deputy director for NOAA, said of DOGE staff. “They were there and they were going through IT systems… They’re not asking substantial questions about what NOAA does and the importance of its role. This isn’t a review to figure out efficiency.”
Preparing for possible cuts
The concern over DOGE activities at NOAA is occurring just as the White House formally nominated Dr. Neil Jacobs Wednesday to be the new administrator of the department, a role he previously held during the first Trump administration. He still requires Senate confirmation. CBS News reached out to Dr. Jacobs for comment, but he has not responded.
A spokesman for NOAA and the White House also did not respond to requests for comment.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on,” Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, ranking member of House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said in a joint statement Tuesday. “Now they have reached NOAA where they’re wreaking havoc on the scientific and regulatory systems that protect American families’ safety and jobs.”
According to NOAA’s website, the agency has about 12,000 staffers across the world, including 6,773 who are scientists and engineers.
Laura Geller is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist. She joined the CBS News and Stations Innovation Lab as a national investigative producer in September 2023.
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