Demonstrators ranging from lawmakers to retirees rallied around the Interior Department and NOAA headquarters Monday to protest the Trump administration’s wholesale personnel cuts.
Though separated by two hours and about 7 miles, the dual demonstrations shared deep dismay over the mass firings orchestrated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which targeted both relatively new employees and those in new positions, and sharp warnings about the potential consequences. Interior dismissed around 2,300 employees, while lawmakers have estimated 650 NOAA staffers were fired.
“This will cripple the department,” said Jane Lyder, an Interior veteran. “The parks, the refuges and a lot of the natural resource conservation programs already don’t have enough money, and they’re talking about 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent cuts. And you can’t do it.”
Starting in 1977 as an Interior attorney, Lyder held a variety of positions that included legislative counsel, deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, and, ending in 2013, senior adviser.
