the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jun 9, 2025
Dangerous weather is on the rise again. After ice storms near the Great Lakes in early spring, 724 tornadoes killed at least 35 people across the U.S., and then the extreme Canada wildfires took off. Forecasters predict up to five major hurricanes and an above-average hurricane season this year.
Farmers, truck drivers, ship captains, and many kinds of workers need to know what weather to expect, both short term and long term. But sticking a finger in the air is not enough. Experts have to collect and analyze much information from many sources. The federal employees doing this work are essential. But they are among the federal workers targeted for cuts.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration could lose around one fifth of its staff. These include hundreds of National Weather Service meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists, and radar and electronics technicians at 122 local weather service offices around the country, which are supposed to operate 24 hours a day and launch weather balloons twice daily. The service already lost 300 workers since 2010. Cutting back certainly won’t make their predictions any better!
Hundreds of scientists and experts were cut from the National Climate Assessment. The Interior Department’s National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Geological Survey cut staff. NASA is losing nearly a quarter of its science and climate change budget, including one billion dollars for replacing climate monitoring satellites. Even the congressionally-mandated National Climate Assessment all-volunteer work done for free by scientists and scholars was halted.
This was not money being thrown in the wind! But while Washington has plenty of money to throw at Wall Street, military contractors, and other big capitalists, working people are left twisting in the wind, or worse.