A now-fired public affairs specialist is fuming over recent budget cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), warning that these financial reductions could undermine critical disaster preparedness efforts. The employee, who previously created a multimillion-dollar cartoon about a gender-neutral space alien for his agency, expressed alarm that DOGE's cuts could deplete vital resources when effective emergency response is needed.
Tom Di Liberto, recently fired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), called it "ridiculous" that he was terminated during an interview on CNN. He expressed concerns that DOGE budget cuts could impact hurricane and disaster preparedness. However, the NOAA instructed Di Liberto to spend over $3 million creating the animated series Teek and Tom Explore Planet Earth.
You heard it here first: a friendly extraterrestrial student named Teek from Planet Queloz has arrived on Earth! Check out Teek’s adventures with NOAA climate scientist Tom in our first-ever animated series, Teek and Tom Explore Planet Earth: https://t.co/xFwfxsDeXU pic.twitter.com/xWtkr2MGku
— NOAA's Ocean Service (@noaaocean) December 3, 2024
The series aims to teach children about weather and climate. The cartoon's characters include Teek, played by Di Liberto. Teek is an androgynous extraterrestrial who uses the pronouns “they/them” and “gender-neutral.”
This comes as DOGE informed NOAA that two centers for weather forecasting would have their leases canceled.
However, while liberals react strongly to the move, a senior White House official stated that the Trump administration is "simply reevaluating the lease terms, not closing any buildings, which any good steward of money would do,” according to a statement to Axios. The official also clarified that NOAA has not received a formal letter regarding the cancellation of its building lease.
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Nearly 800 NOAA employees have been laid off as DOGE targets wasteful spending and fraud within government agencies. However, key personnel, such as National Weather Service meteorologists, were exempt from the cuts due to their critical roles.
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