THE DAILY FED
Friday's Weather: Stormy
National Weather Service Director Elbert W. "Joe" Friday Jr., has been reassigned to a different position in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration due to a dispute over the agency's budget.
Under threat of removal from the Senior Executive Service, Friday accepted a "directed reassignment" to the new job, assistant NOAA administrator for oceanic and atmospheric research.
"I had never been fired before," Friday, 57, told The Washington Post. "It caught me very much by surprise."
NOAA Administrator D. James Baker and Commerce Secretary William Daley said they decided to replace Friday because they had been receiving "conflicting information" about the Weather Service's budgetary situation. Friday has been struggling to deal with a $41 million budgetary shortfall and a plan to eliminate 200 jobs.
Baker said he would name a special adviser to conduct a "rigorous evaluation of the NWS budget and operations."
Friday has been a federal meteorologist for 18 years.
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