Dogecoin infiltrates NOAA facilities, gains access to IT infrastructure, and removes the leading HR figurehead

Musk's team is allegedly dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, causing concern among certain legislators who suspect larger agency objectives might be at play.

, and ASMedia

2025 September 19 . 4:14 AM

2 min read

Dogecoin infiltrates NOAA's IT network, ousts the leading Human Resources officer from their... — Dogecoin infiltrates NOAA's IT network, ousts the leading Human Resources officer from their position

Dogecoin infiltrates NOAA facilities, gains access to IT infrastructure, and removes the leading HR figurehead

In a series of recent developments, federal agencies across the government have sent preliminary lists of all employees working in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices to the Office of Personnel Management and the White House. This move has sparked concerns among lawmakers and employees, particularly at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Reps. Jared Huffman and Zoe Lofgren have expressed their concerns about the intentions of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, which has been granted access to NOAA's IT systems, and its potential impact on NOAA. They fear that the DOGE team may be investigating whether any remaining NOAA employees have been engaged in DEI efforts.

The DOGE team, housed within the White House, has already gained access to the Treasury Department's federal payment system and is deeply embedded at the Office of Personnel Management, the General Services Administration, and other agencies. The team has entered both the Commerce Department, NOAA's parent agency, and a NOAA building in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen has stated that he will look into the matter and "will not stand for it." He, along with Huffman and Lofgren, have raised concerns about the potential erasure of mentions of climate change from NOAA systems and websites.

The leader of NOAA nominated by Elon Musk's team is Rick Spinrad. However, the head of NOAA's Office of Human Capital Services, the agency's human resources team, has been placed on administrative leave. Agencies are informing employees that their DEI programs "divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination." As a result, agencies are placing individuals working in DEI offices on administrative leave in preparation for potential layoffs.

Neil Jacobs, who served as acting administrator at NOAA during Trump's first term and was involved in the "Sharpiegate" scandal, has been nominated by Trump to lead NOAA. Jacobs told lawmakers and the Commerce inspector general that a statement supporting Trump's false claims about Hurricane Dorian's path was drafted by top Commerce and White House officials.

Such investigations and actions seem to be underway at least at some other federal agencies, as performance plans for US Forest Service employees are temporarily unavailable due to the DEI executive order. Forest Service employees can no longer access their performance review portal as a result.

The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 calls for NOAA to be dismantled, many of its functions eliminated, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories. The project also calls for most of NOAA's climate change research to be disbanded.

As the situation continues to unfold, lawmakers, employees, and environmentalists alike are closely watching the developments at NOAA and other federal agencies, hoping for a resolution that upholds the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the preservation of scientific research and accurate weather forecasting.