New job postings at the National Weather Service are drawing scrutiny after applicants were asked to write essays describing how they would support President Donald Trump’s policies and executive orders.
The unusual requirements are part of what the administration calls its “merit hiring plan,” first released in May by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The plan includes four short essay questions unrelated to meteorology but framed around advancing the president’s agenda.
Applicants are asked to explain how they would “help advance” Trump’s policies, identify executive orders they view as significant, and describe how they would implement those directives if hired. Other questions ask about a candidate’s commitment to the Constitution, ways to improve government efficiency, and their work ethic.
Critics say the questions amount to a loyalty test. Two policy experts labeled them inappropriate, while climate scientist Daniel Swain called the approach “misguided for a nonpartisan civil service role”, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It is concerning that this is being asked even of someone responsible for issuing a tornado warning for a neighborhood, or a flash flood watch, or a wind advisory, or a fire weather warning,” Swain said during an online briefing. “It just doesn’t make sense. These aren’t partisan political roles. They never have been. They shouldn’t be now.”
The National Weather Service confirmed Monday it is seeking to hire two meteorologists in California, one in Monterey and another in Hanford. Both offices have been operating with reduced staff for months after Trump ordered cuts that pushed out early-career employees and offered early retirements to veterans. Staffing shortages became so severe that the Hanford center was forced to close for several hours each night.
The service said the current postings are for “mission-critical positions” but admitted they will not be enough to address the widespread vacancies across the country. More job openings are expected soon, though the agency did not say when. Hiring within the weather service often takes months to complete.
The essay questions stem from a January executive order directing agencies to recruit “patriotic Americans” for federal jobs. Application forms mark the essay prompts with a red star, indicating they are required fields, though a note says answers are encouraged but not mandatory.
In June, federal officials clarified that agencies are not obligated to use the essay questions but are urged to include them. A government bulletin stated that while the essays give candidates the chance to highlight their public service commitment, they “must not be used to impose an ideological litmus test on candidates.”