PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Amid the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce, a group of Democratic lawmakers in Oregon are questioning the latest round of firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In a letter sent Thursday to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — whose department oversees NOAA — the lawmakers called for a reversal of the firings, which could have a “drastic impact” on Oregon’s safety and economy, the coalition argued.

The lawmakers behind the letter include senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06).

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The letter comes after NOAA announced plans on March 12 to lay off 1,000 NOAA employees amid efforts to slash 10% of the agency’s workforce, as reported by The Associated Press.

According to the lawmakers, these layoffs impacted NOAA workers across the nation, including NOAA employees in Oregon.

It is unclear how many NOAA employees were part of the firings in Oregon. A spokesperson for NOAA declined to comment, citing a longstanding policy of the agency to not comment on personnel issues.

Now, the lawmakers are asking Lutnick to reverse the firings and provide information on actions being taken to mitigate disruptions to NOAA service.

“The loss of NOAA staff will have significant impacts on oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring systems that are vital to Oregon’s economic and environmental sustainability. It is our understanding that some of the layoffs include key leadership personnel that directly contribute to local leadership, strategic planning, and local emergency response as well as scientists and technicians who lead strategic efforts related to ocean acoustic science and data that aids in the prevention of overfishing and bycatch,” the lawmakers wrote.

The coalition also noted the impact of firing workers with the National Weather Service employees — which is a component of NOAA.

“The loss of National Weather Service (NWS) employees will have a drastic impact on Oregon’s ability to maintain radar systems, especially during critical weather events like Oregon’s record-breaking 2024 wildfire season. NWS offices in Oregon routinely provide critical training in fire weather forecasting to incident command teams in advance of the wildfire season. NWS will not have personnel to administer these life-saving trainings for the 2025 wildfire season because of these employment terminations,” the lawmakers wrote.

As part of its services, NOAA provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring, fisheries management and coastal restoration.

Some of these services face possible disruptions, the lawmakers said, noting Oregon is home to NOAA’s Marine Operations Center — Pacific in Newport, which serves as the homeport to two NOAA ships on the West Coast.

“Given the importance of NOAA research and support in our home state of Oregon and across the country, we urge the Department of Commerce to take immediate steps to reinstate all affected staff. The continuation of NOAA’s vital work is critical to ensuring the long-term stability and success of America’s atmospheric and oceanographic economy,” the Oregon delegation concluded.

According to AP, NOAA Spokesperson Monica Allen said despite the layoffs, the agency will “continue to provide weather information forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.”

AP reports that because of staffing shortages, NOAA has already stopped releasing some weather balloons — which collect observations for weather forecasts — in two locations, including Albany, New York and Gray, Maine.

KOIN 6 News reached out to Oregon’s only Republican congressman, Cliff Bentz (OR-2), for a statement on the NOAA letter. However, his office declined to comment.