The Commerce Department sent “inaccurate and unauthorized” emails to NOAA employees in early April saying their jobs had been reclassified so they no longer enjoyed the same level of employment protection they previously had, a top official said Friday.
In an agencywide email, Jeremy Pelter, the Commerce deputy assistant secretary, told NOAA employees the “department has not made any final decisions” about implementation of a Jan. 20 executive order from President Donald Trump that would reclassify employees as “Schedule Policy/Career,” meaning they could be fired more easily.
The designation was created at the end of the first Trump administration, when it was known as “Schedule F.” The reclassification policy was revoked by the Biden administration, then reinstated by Trump under the new name.
“When such decisions are finalized, impacted employees will receive timely and accurate information regarding their status,” Pelter wrote in the email shared with POLITICO’s E&E News. “I apologize for any confusion and appreciate your continued efforts supporting our mission.”
