Local Federal Employee Speaks Out on Federal Budget Cuts

Saline councilmember Nicole Rice spoke before the Michigan Senate Labor Committee about the effects of federal budget cuts on local residents at their April 17 meeting. During her speech, she discussed the impacts that the loss of federal funding could have on the people of Michigan if labs and research facilities across the state are unable to continue their work.

“I have in my hand today letters from six key organizations in the Great Lakes region—the Cities of Toledo and Cleveland, the Lake Carriers’ Association, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Great Lakes Observing System,” Rice said to the Labor Committee. “In each letter, these organizations emphasize, without hesitation, the critical importance of sustaining NOAA’s research efforts in the Great Lakes. Their messages are clear: this work is not optional — it is essential to public safety, economic vitality, and environmental stewardship.”

In February, Rice and seven of her coworkers at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were let go with an hour and a half’s notice. Their work revolved around monitoring harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes to keep drinking water safe for Michiganders and sending data from the lakes to the National Weather Service, which is used to create the weather forecast. Since their firings, these positions have remained unfilled.

“The National Weather Service puts out the forecast and explains to the public what’s happening, but there’s people behind that doing research to get all that updated,” Rice said. “So, losing those services in a place like the Great Lakes, when you’ve got a changing climate that is no doubt affecting weather patterns, it will be devastating to communities.”

The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) that Rice was a part of also does research that can help predict a variety of impactful scientific phenomena, from rip currents to E. coli outbreaks.

“We also face potential delays in toxin forecasting, which was developed at GLERL after the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis, when toxic algal blooms left over 400,000 residents without drinking water and cost the city upward of $65 million,” Rice said.

The federal government has instituted cuts to its agencies to work on reducing wasteful spending of tax dollars. This included cutting those with probationary status in many federal agencies, including NOAA.

“Generally, employees in the competitive service with less than one year of service, and in the excepted service with less than two years of service, can be terminated without triggering MSPB appeal rights,” the United States’ Office of Personnel’s revised memorandum from March 4 reads regarding “probationary” employees.

The federal government does this to ensure any new hirings are provably worthwhile to the government. Rice and several of her colleagues were in a probationary period because of a recent series of promotions, however, not because they were new hires. Rice had been with NOAA for a decade when she was let go. She emphasizes that the services and people receiving these cuts are not insignificant and will affect a large number of people who use any kind of federal service.

“We’re not just talking about environmental agencies,” she said. “We’re talking about our VA, one of the best VA systems in the nation. We’re so close to the border and we’re so close to the airport, we’ve got Homeland Security, the IRS, and Housing and Urban Development. These are not bureaucratic employees. These are employees out here on the ground, getting data to understand how things impact Michiganders and working to solve problems.”

Of the nearly 30,000 federal employees in Michigan, more than 6,000 reside in or immediately surrounding Washtenaw County according to the 2024 census. Including the additional employees who have taken the “deferred retirement/separation” option available to some, the lab has lost 35% of its federal staff, many of whom reside in the local Washtenaw County area.

“These are your neighbors, friends, and constituents who get up every day to serve their country and their communities,” Rice said at the Labor Committee meeting. “They are scientists, engineers, public servants, veterans, and working families who contribute to our local economies and help uphold the stability of the nation.”

It is not known at this time if further cuts will be made.