The firings will affect the research and marine operations in Newport. Notably, the layoffs included staff at the NOAA Marine Operations Center in Newport, which provides logistical support and maintenance for NOAA鈥檚 Pacific fleet.
More than 300 people work for the federal government in Lincoln County, according to the Oregon Employment Department, but it鈥檚 not clear how many of them are NOAA employees.
Paula Miranda, executive director of the Port of Newport, confirmed that staff had been cut at the Marine Operations Center, where NOAA has five years left on its lease. Miranda said she does not know the scale of the recent cuts.
NOAA workers who spoke to OPB were stunned by the job losses.
鈥淚鈥檓 just outraged. We don鈥檛 even know how many people are gone. We鈥檝e asked our managers to tell us, and they say they can鈥檛. It鈥檚 a personnel matter,鈥� said a NOAA employee who has worked with people the science center. The employee spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agency has prohibited its staff from speaking with the media.
鈥淚ndividuals can tell us they鈥檝e been fired, but as soon as they鈥檙e gone they鈥檙e cut off from their NOAA accounts,鈥� the employee said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cold. These are our colleagues and their lives are being completely upended. Years of work are going down the drain and for what?鈥�
Impacted programs
NOAA most directly interacts with Northwest residents by providing weather and forecast data to the National Weather Service. A public affairs person with NWS declined to comment, citing a 鈥渓ong-standing practice鈥� of not discussing personnel matters.
鈥淣OAA remains dedicated to its mission,鈥� the spokesperson said in a statement. 鈥淲e continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.鈥�
The agency includes the National Marine Fisheries Service, which works to manage salmon and steelhead fisheries. Its West Coast region is based in Portland, with additional locations in Roseburg and La Grande. It鈥檚 not immediately clear if any staff at those locations were affected by Thursday鈥檚 job cuts.
NOAA also provides critical research support for Oregon State University鈥檚 Hatfield Marine Science Center, also located in Newport. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A recent analysis by the port found that if NOAA completely departed Newport, Lincoln County would lose 620 jobs, across both agency staff and workers supported by the agency鈥檚 economic activity.
Robert Cowen, the director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center, said the work the scientists do has a huge economic impact on the state of Oregon. He confirmed that some NOAA researchers have lost jobs, though he did not have an exact number.
鈥淲e have some of the best managed fisheries in the world,鈥� Cowen said. 鈥淲hen you have sustainable fisheries, it鈥檚 well recognized and easier to sell the fish at a premium.鈥�
NOAA scientists have very niche areas of expertise in a wide range of issues, Cowan said, from how to alert oyster farmers of incoming warm weather patterns to save their crops to creating maps for mariners鈥� use.
鈥淭hese are people, most of them have years and years of training,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are super-dedicated people 鈥� who were dedicating their life鈥檚 careers to this.鈥�
Democratic state Rep. David Gomberg, whose district includes Newport, said Oregon should be proud to host one of the leading institutions in the world dealing with marine science, climate and fisheries, and the cuts will be devastating.
Gomberg called it 鈥渁 really big deal鈥� that will be life-changing for all Oregonians.
鈥淲hen we start losing people here, and we are losing people, that puts at risk the work we鈥檙e doing to understand ocean warming and hypoxia and acidification and raising water levels. It also puts the fishing people going into those waters at risk if they don鈥檛 have a clear prediction of what the conditions are going to be out there,鈥� Gomberg said.
The impact extends beyond future scientific breakthroughs or helping understand oceanic weather patterns, Gomberg said.
鈥淟et me say this in another way, I live in the fire zone in Otis and we rely on NOAA to give us the conditions that were crucial to understand the fire conditions and the problems we had coming at us,鈥� Gomberg said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not just true of people who live at the beach, but those who live across Oregon.鈥欌��
Extent of firings unknown
In total, at least 880 people have lost their jobs at NOAA nationwide, according to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington. Officials with the agency declined to confirm details Thursday.
鈥淭he firings jeopardize our ability to forecast and respond to extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods鈥攑utting communities in harm鈥檚 way,鈥� Cantwell said in a statement. 鈥淭hey also threaten our maritime commerce and endanger 1.7 million jobs that depend on commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries.鈥�
U.S. Rep. Val Holye, D-Eugene, said in a statement that 鈥渙ur coastal, rural and wildfire-impacted communities are less safe today because of these cuts. They need to be reversed, especially so close to wildfire season.鈥�
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jared Huffman, D-California, also blasted the job cuts as a 鈥渟ham mission鈥� carried out by Elon Musk and his staffers at the Trump-created Department of Government Efficiency.
鈥淧eople nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information,鈥� Huffman said in a statement. 鈥淧urging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives.鈥�
, a political blueprint developed by the president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, calls for the break up of NOAA. Many of the other cuts and reorganization efforts so far championed by the Trump administration have mirrored the recommendations of the document.
Project 2025鈥檚 recommendations call to 鈥渃ommercialize鈥� the forecasts of the National Weather Service for use by the private sector, while allowing for-profit companies like AccuWeather to take the lead on weather forecasts for the public.
It also recommends breaking up marine and aviation operations, which NOAA鈥檚 Newport facility falls under, and reassigning ships to other agencies, including the General Services Administration.
OPB鈥檚 Cassandra Profita contributed to this report.
