The Trump administration is giving thousands of NOAA employees another chance to quit their jobs before the Department of Government Efficiency’s ax blade falls again at the nation’s climate, weather and oceans agency.
In a Commerce Department notice to employees, which include NOAA’s roughly 10,500 remaining staff, officials said “all employees, in all positions, at all grade/band level, in every geographic location” could file for what’s known as “voluntary early retirement” or a “voluntary separation incentive payment” with a one-time payout of up to $25,000.
The offer excludes positions in immigration enforcement, national security, marine vessel operations, patent and trademark examining, and public safety, according to the Commerce memo, a copy of which was reviewed by POLITICO’s E&E News.
Eligible employees must notify managers they intend to apply for what are known as “VERA” and “VSIP” offers by April 17 and exit the agency by May 3, according to the memo. Any employee who does not apply for the separation offer could be subject to future firing under a NOAA reduction-in-force plan, or RIF.
