New wave of layoffs

Trump takes step to “eradicate” research

"These are the first steps towards extinction," says former NOAA chief Rick Spinrad.(Bild: APA/AFP/ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

The US government under Donald Trump is laying off even more employees in government agencies. This time it is over 1000 employees at the renowned scientific institution NOAA. Jobs are also being cut at NASA. Experts are sounding the alarm.

According to US media reports, more than 1,000 jobs are to be cut at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) following previous cuts. That is a tenth of all employees. Experts warn that these massive job cuts will have consequences.

"These are the first steps towards extinction," says former NOAA chief Rick Spinrad in no uncertain terms. "There is no way to make these kinds of cuts without eliminating or severely impacting the mission," he told the Associated Press.

The Trump administration is also ordering the cuts without giving more specific instructions. That makes the whole thing even worse, says Spinrad. The agency's website has already warned of longer processing times for requests "due to layoffs".

Former NOAA chief scientist Craig McLean is also concerned. Weather forecasts will deteriorate as a result of the job cuts and "people will feel the effects very quickly", he says. He fears that this will also restrict the fishing opportunities of commercial fishermen, for example.

NASA lays off 23 employees
There are also reportedly redundancies at a second science agency: the US space agency NASA. "In order to optimize our workforce and in accordance with a directive, NASA is beginning a phased approach to workforce reduction," the space agency announced. A total of 23 employees are affected, including the agency's chief scientist, Katherine Calvin.