NEWS: National Weather Service Reverses Cuts after Harder’s Outcry
Sacramento, Hanford stations were targeted for reduction of operations
Loss of 24/7 service would be catastrophic for disaster weather response
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced that the National Weather Service (NWS) is implementing emergency hiring plans to keep two Valley weather stations open in response to Harder’s advocacy. The Sacramento and Hanford stations were poised to lose 24/7 service because of staffing cuts which would have been catastrophic for emergency response to floods, wildfires, and severe storms. On Friday, Rep. Harder demanded the National Weather Service reverse its cuts and keep the only two Valley stations fully staffed.
NWS service crisis by the numbers:
- DOGE terminated 500 NWS employees, representing a 12% reduction in force.
- Sacramento has 7 vacancies out of 16 meteorologist positions, and Hanford has 8 vacancies across 13 positions – leaving the Valley half-staffed amid peak wildfire season.
- Decreased service capacity leaves California water managers without critical forecasts needed to make life-or-death water supply decisions.
“Ending 24/7 service operations that keep our families safe from floods and fires makes absolutely no sense – that’s why I called on NWS to immediately reverse these plans,” said Rep. Harder. “Today’s announcement is a step back towards sanity, but Valley communities need more than a temporary fix. I’m going to keep fighting to get these vacancies filled permanently, and I won’t rest until Valley families can rest assured that the federal government is actually at work keeping them safe.”
In his letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Harder urged Washington to:
- Reinstate all terminated workers at the Sacramento and Hanford offices.
- Ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations.
Read the full letter here.
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