Senator Jerry Moran Pushes for Staffing Support at Goodland Weather Service

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran visited the Goodland National Weather Service office recently, bringing with him some long-awaited good news: a federal hiring freeze that had prevented the office from filling critical positions has officially been lifted.

“This isn’t my first visit to the National Weather Service in Goodland,” Moran said. “But you've definitely gotten my attention here. You’ve made news across Kansas and the country about the need for workers — and we took that challenge seriously.”

The Goodland office, which has been operating without round-the-clock forecasting due to staffing shortages, has been at the center of Moran’s recent push for improved support from federal agencies. Citing the essential role this office plays in severe weather forecasting across western Kansas and eastern Colorado, Moran emphasized the risk of going without full 24/7 coverage.

“It seems pretty dangerous to me — especially this time of year,” he said. “All our weather starts this way, and this office is at the forefront.”

Moran shared that his office has been lobbying the White House, the Office of Personnel Management, and the leadership of the National Weather Service to prioritize the Goodland location. The result: the hiring freeze has been lifted, and a new meteorologist will be hired within the next couple of months.

In the meantime, temporary help is on the way. Volunteers from across the country — at least 18 of them — are being scheduled to rotate through Goodland this summer, allowing the office to restore 24/7 coverage for much of July and August.

“Just knowing that help is coming — that we’re not forgotten — means the world to us,” said one staff member, holding back emotion. “We try to keep things running so well that no one notices how short-staffed we are. But it’s been hard.”

Moran also announced he is working with Senator Gary Peters of Michigan to introduce legislation that would exempt key National Weather Service positions — including meteorologists, hydrologists, and technicians — from future hiring freezes. “Sometimes, when decisions are made about who is ‘essential,’ people forget how many support roles are needed to make the whole system work,” Moran explained.

As the lead Republican on the Senate subcommittee that funds NOAA and the National Weather Service, Moran pledged to continue advocating for offices like Goodland, especially those in rural regions.

“We would never want anyone to think that the National Weather Service in Goodland isn’t important,” Moran said. “Everything I know about living in Kansas tells me it is.”

To view the entire video of Jerry Moran at the National Weather Service: