This bill puts a freeze on layoffs at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the federal agency responsible for weather forecasting, ocean management, and climate research. Right now, NOAA can't fire or lay off most of its employees unless they've done something seriously wrong—like committing misconduct, being consistently negligent, or failing to do their job properly. The freeze stays in place until Congress passes a full budget for NOAA for fiscal year 2026. Once that budget is approved and signed into law, NOAA would regain the ability to conduct layoffs if it chooses to. The bill protects three categories of NOAA workers: regular competitive service employees, career employees in the excepted service, and senior executives. The only exception to this protection is that NOAA can still fire people for legitimate cause—meaning documented misconduct, delinquency, or poor job performance. This is a temporary measure designed to protect NOAA's workforce from potential mass layoffs during a period of budget uncertainty.