The National Weather Service (NWS) is expected to expand its hiring efforts after facing both vacancies and public scrutiny as a result of Trump administration staffing cuts.
Tom Fahy, legislative director at the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told The Hill on Wednesday that he expects the service to hire for additional positions beyond the 126 that were previously reported.
Fahy said it could mean “potentially hundreds” of new jobs.
CNN first reported this week that the NWS planned to hire back hundreds of jobs. According to the news outlet, the NWS will be able to hire a total of 450 positions including meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians.
A NWS spokesperson declined to comment.
The NWS and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), represented two of many government entities that faced job cuts and buyouts due to the administration’s sweeping changes to the federal government under the Department of Government Efficiency.
However, as hurricane season began, and in particular after deadly flooding in Texas, many of these cuts began to face scrutiny.
An internal memo warned in June that some offices around the country were “critically understaffed.”
Last month, the White House issued a memo that extended a federal hiring freeze but exempted a few agencies, including the NWS.
Neil Jacobs, who has been nominated to lead NOAA, pledged during his confirmation hearing to make NWS staffing a “top priority.” His nomination is still pending, though he is expected to be approved.
Democrats and Republicans alike have expressed concerns about the staffing levels at the NWS, with bipartisan bills being introduced in both the House and Senate on the issue.
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