1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

The recent layoffs and cuts to staffing at the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are concerning. Terminating over 800 employees, including essential personnel like meteorologists and scientists at centers like the National Hurricane Center, puts lives at risk by hampering the NWS's forecasting capabilities. Key functions like twice-daily weather balloon launches are already being suspended due to lack of staff. Weakening these critical government agencies responsible for severe weather tracking, emergency preparedness, and hurricane monitoring endangers communities nationwide. I urge you to reverse course on these harmful cuts that jeopardize public safety and restore full funding and staffing to the NWS and NOAA to maintain robust weather monitoring, hurricane tracking, and forecasting services vital to public welfare.