As severe storms swept into Alabama over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., highlighted the need for accurate weather data in the wake of mass NOAA terminations recently announced by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Established this year by President Donald Trump, DOGE is the nation’s newest federal agency.
“Alabamians understand the importance of timely, accurate weather data, especially when severe weather threatens our state,” Britt wrote in a statement to AL.com.
“I’m grateful for NOAA’s continued work to put data in the hands of meteorologists on the ground. My family and I survived April 27, 2011, due in part to the work they do.”
Britt was a wife and mother of two balancing her personal life with the challenges of law school when the deadly EF4 hit Tuscaloosa.
In the aftermath, she wrote in her memoir, her possessions were found miles away. Lost were her law school notes, books and work.
She wrote that her family checkbook was found by a “good Samaritan” counties away “halfway across the state” and was mailed back to her with a $20 bill and a sympathetic note.
Britt said Alabama families benefitted from NOAA ahead of Saturday’s storms.
“Just this week families across the state received advanced notice about the incoming storms so they can plan,” Britt continued.
“I support robust funding for NOAA and remain committed to ensuring every cent of hard-earned taxpayer money is spent efficiently, judiciously, and accountably.”
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Current and former staffers said last week that more than 600 employees had been terminated overall across the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This included shrinking the National Weather Service by 170 employees, according to NOAA officials.
Among those terminated were meteorologists, hydrologists, and staff at offices responsible for warning the public about tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes.
“They’re our eyes and ears,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said of the former employees in a call with reporters Friday.
Without their work “people will die and others will suffer greatly,” he said.
Representatives for National Weather Service offices have declined to comment on how the layoffs have affected their Alabama staff.