Today, fifteen Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, acting Administrator of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), demanding answers about efforts by President Trump and Elon Musk to unlawfully dismantle the crucial agency. In their letter, the representatives cite multiple reports of drastic planned cuts and the related invasion of the agency by Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) lieutenants, including 30-year-old Twitter engineer Nikhil Rajpal, now listed in the NOAA directory at [email protected].
In their letter, the members state:
“There have been credible reports of DOGE personnel disregarding security checkpoints, rifling through personal belongings, demanding access to computers, emails, and other sensitive information, and adding employees’ names to lists on their clipboards if they are perceived to have resisted. While this is happening at core NOAA facilities in the Washington, D.C. region, our constituents who work at NOAA labs and regional facilities across the nation fear for their jobs and their families’ futures.”
“Our constituents and the American people deserve answers from the Trump administration as to what their plan is and what authorities the administration is using to bully and intimidate NOAA employees with the ultimate goal of dismantling the agency.”
The letter was led by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member Val Hoyle. The other signatories were Jimmy Panetta, Frank Pallone, Salud Carbahal, Seth Magaziner, Sarah Elfreth, Suzanne Bonamici, Raúl Grijalva, Mike Levin, Ed Case, Joe Neguse, William Keating, Kathy Castor, and Jamie Raskin.
House Science ranking member Zoe Lofgren has also sent a letter to acting administrator Hann.
There will be a rally in support of NOAA at the Department of Commerce on Tuesday afternoon.
Full text of the letter:
The Honorable Vice Admiral Nancy Hann
Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 5128
Washington, DC 20230
Dear Vice Admiral Hann:
As Members of Congress who represent congressional districts with facilities and employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we are alarmed by reports of President Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to unlawfully dismantle NOAA.
Over the past decade, Congressional Republicans and their oil and gas-funded allies have stoked fear and conspiracy theories about NOAA’s workforce and the agency’s science. NOAA provides cutting-edge research and services to keep American families safe and bolsters a sustainable blue economy. These years of unfounded vilification and conspiracies have laid the groundwork for Elon Musk and his DOGE personnel to terrorize NOAA employees, threatening mass layoffs. There have been credible reports of DOGE personnel disregarding security checkpoints, rifling through personal belongings, demanding access to computers, emails, and other sensitive information, and adding employees’ names to lists on their clipboards if they are perceived to have resisted. While this is happening at core NOAA facilities in the Washington, D.C. region, our constituents who work at NOAA labs and regional facilities across the nation fear for their jobs and their families’ futures.
Project 2025 outlines further steps President Trump’s administration will take to “dismantle NOAA,” spinning off key scientific programs and functions and eliminating others entirely. Many of these actions are illegal and will have dire consequences for the communities we represent. Americans rely on NOAA to prepare for severe weather and natural disasters, to support sustainable fisheries, and to increase coastal resilience.
Our constituents and the American people deserve answers from the Trump administration as to what their plan is and what authorities the administration is using to bully and intimidate NOAA employees with the ultimate goal of dismantling the agency.
Therefore, we request an in-person meeting with you by February 12, 2025, to receive your answers to the following questions:
What authorities are Elon Musk and DOGE personnel using to gain access to NOAA facilities and systems?
Are Musk’s DOGE personnel removing data from NOAA systems? If so, what data are they taking, and what are they doing with it?
How are Musk’s DOGE personnel ensuring compliance with data privacy, classification, and other laws protecting sensitive or classified information? Do all those with access to classified data have the appropriate security clearance?
Many Trump administration allies have discussed plans to dismantle NOAA, and NOAA employees have reportedly been told to expect a reduction in staff by 50 percent and a 30 percent budget cut. What is the timeline for such action, how does the Administration plan to notify staff, how much warning will staff receive, and what are the plans for carrying out NOAA’s critical science and safety functions if such dismantling occurs?
What authorities does the Trump administration plan to use to carry out reductions in force?
What authorities does the Trump administration plan to use to dismantle NOAA?
What authorities does the Trump administration plan to use to cut 30 percent of the budget?
How will the Trump administration ensure that the functions NOAA performs pursuant to law will continue to be executed?
Many communities nationwide rely on the services NOAA provides, including the National Weather Service, fishery management activities, and providing honest real-time information on coastal hazards and extreme weather that prevents death and injury. How does the Trump administration plan to minimize disruptions to the products and services these communities rely upon?
What steps is NOAA taking to safeguard its climate research, environmental monitoring programs, and scientific data from political interference, manipulation, or suppression under the Trump administration’s reported efforts to dismantle the agency?
Have there been any directives—formal or informal—related to limiting NOAA’s role in climate research, restricting data collection, or altering scientific findings? If so, what are they?
Please contact the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee to arrange this meeting. Thank you for your attention to this urgent request.