"the National Weather Service had 216 vacant positions it could not fill due to a governmentwide hiring freeze imposed by the Trump administration, according to

"the National Weather Service had 216 vacant positions it could not fill due to a governmentwide hiring freeze imposed by the Trump administration, according to a recently released document." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2017/09/27/the-energy-202-trump-s-hiring-freeze-shrunk-national-weather-service-staff-before-hurricanes-hit/59cabf8330fb0468cea81c01/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-ene... "The Weather Service’s head count finally stabilized in 2016 [...] But the staffing dip resumed in 2017, falling from 3,425 in December to 3,368 in August," "Staffing had declined so much that the Government Accountability Office wrote in May that employees were challenged in their ability “to complete key tasks.”" "“There's no question that the hiring freeze had an effect,” said Dan Sobien, NWSEO president. “But really it was the straw that broke the camel's back.” He added, “The camel was already weighed down to the ground.” "The National Hurricane Center, a Weather Service division, has been led by an acting director since May. An acting career official is heading NOAA until President Trump nominates and the Senate confirms a permanent replacement. Trump has waited longer than any other president to fill that role." "In either case, the vacancies at the Weather Service were numerous enough, even before Trump was inaugurated, for the GAO to audit the agency's hiring practices." "In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee wrote in a report that lawmakers are “very concerned with the continued number of employee vacancies” even though Congress has provided enough money to fill them."