Jesse Scheckner
As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season begins amid warnings of heightened storm activity, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Parkland is introducing bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing severe staffing shortages within the National Weather Service (NWS).
His Office calls the level of vacancies at the agency “critical.”
The bill, titled the Weather Workforce Improvement Act, would grant the NWS temporary direct hiring authority to rapidly fill critical vacancies that officials warn are undermining the country’s disaster preparedness efforts.
He’s carrying the measure with U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Nevada Republican, and with cosponsorship from Republican U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma and Democratic U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta of California and Eric Sorensen of Illinois.
The bill comes in response to reports that the NWS has lost more than 550 staff members this year through late May to layoffs and retirements. Some cuts are linked to directives of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative previously led by billionaire Elon Musk under President Donald Trump.
In South and Central Florida, where hurricane threats are routine, NWS offices are operating with staffing gaps of 20%-40%, according to local meteorologist John Morales. The National Hurricane Center in Miami is short five specialists.
“Hurricane season is here, and the National Weather Service is facing critical workforce shortages,” Moskowitz said in a statement. “It’s not the time to let misguided layoffs at the hands of Elon Musk and DOGE stand.”
If passed, the Weather Workforce Improvement Act would give the Director of the NWS, currently Ken Graham, the authority to bypass the traditional Office of Personnel Management hiring process for two years or until all vacancies are filled.
It also requires the Office of Personnel Management to classify covered positions — such as meteorologists, hydrologists, technicians and information technology professionals — as public safety roles, which could help expedite hiring timelines.
Moskowitz emphasized that restoring the NWS workforce is a matter of public safety.
“Let’s be clear: filling gaps at this agency is a public safety priority, and through this bipartisan bill, we can be sure it has the meteorologists, technicians, and other staff it needs to keep Florida communities safe and prepared,” he said.
The proposal follows a series of actions by Moskowitz to defend emergency management agencies from budget cuts. Last month, he cointroduced an amendment to protect the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from reductions in the Republican-backed federal budget bill. He also teamed up with U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a leading GOP candidate for Florida Governor, on legislation to speed disaster aid deployment.
Earlier this year, Moskowitz led a letter cosigned by more than 20 House Democrats urging the Joe Biden administration to reinstate NWS workers and warning that reduced staffing would “weaken disaster preparedness, put more lives at risk, and increase the financial burden on recovering communities.”
Moskowitz’s involvement in emergency preparedness dates back to his tenure as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management under Gov. Ron DeSantis. He led the state’s response to the COVID pandemic and numerous storm events, earning bipartisan praise for his coordination efforts.
NOAA has forecast an above-normal 2025 hurricane season, with 13-19 named storms predicted.
Read the full text of the “Weather Workforce Improvement Act” here.
One comment
Big Blowy
June 11, 2025 at 2:32 pm
If the weather bureau had only its own methods of modeling hurricane course and power, then there might be some worry. But there are two dozen agencies making these models. Some are national governments like Canada, and the United Kingdom, some are regional governments like the European Community and others include schools like Colorado State and FSU. Let’s have a little less featherbedding and a little more cross platform coordination–and a little more government budget grandstanding–and things will work out just fine.