House Democrats are pressing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for answers after reports surfaced that personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency gained unauthorized access to NOAA facilities, raising concerns about security and the agency's independence.
Two senior Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee sent a letter Monday demanding an explanation from NOAA leadership regarding alleged activity by Elon Musk's DOGE.
Ranking member Jared Huffman, D-Calif., and Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee ranking member Val Hoyle, D-Ore., led the letter, which was signed by more than a dozen House Democrats and sent to acting NOAA Administrator Vice Adm. Nancy Hann.
Their inquiry follows reports that DOGE personnel entered NOAA offices, locked out career staff, and attempted to access sensitive information.
Despite its name, DOGE is housed within the president's executive office rather than being a department authorized by Congress. The agency's legal authority has been called into question, particularly regarding its involvement with funding already approved by lawmakers.
"There have been credible reports of DOGE personnel disregarding security checkpoints, rifling through personal belongings, demanding access to computers, emails, and other sensitive information, and adding employees' names to lists on their clipboards if they are perceived to have resisted," the lawmakers wrote.
"While this is happening at core NOAA facilities in the Washington, D.C. region, our constituents who work at NOAA labs and regional facilities across the nation fear for their jobs and their families' futures."
The letter arrives just a week after Huffman requested that House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., look into DOGE's alleged actions at NOAA.
NOAA has been named a potential target for privatization under Project 2025, a policy blueprint published by the Heritage Foundation to guide a future Republican administration.
Former President Donald Trump has denied any connection to the plan, but he previously appointed Russell Vought, one of its primary architects, as White House budget director.
Democrats on the committee have raised concerns about DOGE's expanding role within the federal government and its potential influence over scientific agencies such as NOAA. They argue that the reported intrusion at NOAA facilities underscores broader issues about executive overreach and environmental and scientific policy politicization.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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