The Trump administration’s budget proposal has sparked concerns among lawmakers and experts about the future of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A draft budget document, known as a “passback,” obtained by Agri-Pulse reveals significant cuts to NOAA’s budget, including a potential elimination of the agency’s research arm and the end of funding for certain climate, weather, and ocean laboratories and institutes.

The Proposed Cuts and Eliminations

• NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research division would see a 73% decrease in funding, potentially eliminating the division entirely.
• The Regional Climate Data and Information Program, which supports the National Drought Information System, would be defunded.
• The Sea Grant program, which supports coastal and fisheries science extension specialists at universities across the U.S., would be eliminated.
• Funding for climate competitive research and the National Oceanic Partnership Program would be ended.
• The National Severe Storms Laboratory at the University of Oklahoma, which is working on creating updated radar models to track extreme weather, would be defunded.

These proposed cuts and eliminations have sparked concerns among experts, with Craig McLean, a former NOAA assistant administrator for research and acting chief scientist, stating that they would “set the nation back to the 1950s” in terms of having the capacity to advance weather science.

The Impact on Farmers and the Economy

• The loss of funding would likely have a significant impact on farmers, who rely on accurate weather forecasts and climate data to make informed decisions about their crops.
• McLean explained that farmers would have to rely on outdated methods, such as the Farmers Almanac, rather than using up-to-date drought forecasts and climate forecasts.
• This would likely lead to increased crop failures and economic losses for farmers.

The proposed budget plan also calls for transferring some National Marine Fisheries Service functions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Interior Department.

The Science Community’s Response

• The House Science Committee’s top Democrat, Zoe Lofgren of California, has called the budget plan “both outrageous and dangerous” and stated that it would leave NOAA “hollowed out and unable to perform its life-saving work.”
• Lofgren emphasized that NOAA’s research arm is “foundational to the agency’s mission to protect life and property.”
• The science community is sounding the alarm about the potential consequences of these cuts, which they argue would undermine the accuracy of weather forecasting and data.

The Path Forward

Noa’s research arm is “critical to strengthening the accuracy of weather forecasting and data, and then providing that data to the people who need it,” according to Lofgren.

The White House seems to think that our science capabilities operate in vacuums from one another, that is not the case. It’s a holistic system, and each piece of the agency is critical to strengthening the accuracy of weather forecasting and data, and then providing that data to the people who need it.

The budget proposal has sparked a heated debate in the scientific community, with experts and lawmakers calling for the preservation of NOAA’s research arm and the protection of its funding. The fate of NOAA’s future remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the proposed budget cuts and eliminations pose a significant threat to the agency’s ability to advance weather science and protect life and property.