Close to 1,000 people gathered outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration campus in Boulder on Monday to protest the most recent mass firing of federal employees by President Donald Trump’s administration.
People hoisted signs in support of federal workers and critical of Trump as others led chants calling for the ousting of billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency that is behind the layoffs and funding freezes.
A handful of NOAA employees watched the protest from a balcony at the David Skaggs Research Center as its namesake spoke to protesters outside.
Skaggs, a former representative for Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, said he started planning the protest Wednesday, one day before hundreds of Department of Commerce employees were fired.
“It defies anything that I have in my political experience to understand how stupid this is,” Skaggs told The Denver Post.
The firing of probationary employees is misleading, Skaggs said, because being probationary says little about an employee’s job experience – many probationary employees have worked in the federal government for years but are new to their current positions.
NOAA officials have repeatedly refused to say how many employees in Colorado were fired last week, describing the moves as internal personnel and management matters. It’s also unclear whether the layoffs will stick after a federal judge last week ordered the Office of Personnel Management to rescind the directives that started the mass layoffs across several agencies, ruling that they are likely illegal.
Former agency officials have estimated around 1,300 people were fired, or 10% of the NOAA workforce, according to the Associated Press.
“It’s pretty clear that taking 10% or 20% of top notch talent away from this laboratory can’t be good,” Skaggs said.
Denver resident Hazel Shapiro, who works with federal employees like those at NOAA, said she sees the good work they do every day.
“It’s painful to see their feet cut out from under them,” she said. “It’s a shame to watch people who don’t believe in the work of the federal government run it into the ground.”
Boulder resident Mary Hay held a sign that said “Stop Cruelty. Stop Trump.” as she sat near the NOAA entrance along Broadway.
Hay said she was outraged by firings at NOAA and the National Weather Service.
“I welcome the opportunity to stand up for this egregious problem we’re having, with unelected people running things, impulsive behavior and lack of sympathy from the executive branch,” she said. “I hope this inspires people not to be discouraged.”
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