A crowd of federal workers, supporters and lawmakers rallied Monday outside the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Maryland, protesting job cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Members of the large crowd chanted, “Hands off NOAA!”
Hundreds of weather forecasters and other NOAA workers were laid off last week as billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency carry out plans to slash the federal workforce.
The large crowd included Reps. Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey. The Democrats represent parts of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, home to many fired federal workers.
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“We don't know the exact number, but we're talking hundreds and hundreds of people who've gotten the pink slip and you know, if you add in the probationary firings, you know, we're looking at thousands of people who they're trying to kick out of work,” Raskin said.
Raskin said the agency provides vital services, including protecting the safety of seafood, supporting climate science and sharing weather forecasts.
“It's a totally vindictive and senseless policy that they've embarked upon here,” he said.
Ivey said he was impressed that people showed up in big numbers despite cold weather.
“I love the energy, the courage, the excitement, but it's tragic because these people are being fired illegally. It's irresponsible,” he said. “It's putting the country in danger, but I appreciate the fight.”
Raskin said the courts will have to strike down the dismantling of federal agencies including NOAA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“The president has no right to dismantle them. The president's job is to take care that the laws are faithfully executed, not that the laws are destroyed,” he said.
“It's got to end with the rule of law prevailing, and we have more than 35 preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders against the Elon Musk DOGE group and against Donald Trump,” Raskin continued.
Earlier in the morning, members of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rallied outside the Prettyman courthouse in D.C. as a judge heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the agency.
A demonstration also cropped up at McPherson Square, where members of the machinists’ union and the National Federation of Federal Employees held signs thanking federal workers as they exited the Metro station.
Some held signs reading, “Federal workers are heroes.”
