As the National Weather Service scrambles to hire up to 450 people to restore deep cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency, potential applicants are being asked to explain how they would advance President Donald Trump’s agenda if hired. A posting from the weather service’s parent agency seeking meteorologists asks applicants to identify one or two of Trump’s executive orders “that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.” It’s among screening questions the Trump administration added to government job applications as part of a “merit hiring plan” and isn’t unique to the weather service positions. But some experts are alarmed at the prospect that a candidate’s ideology could matter for jobs in science.
