Zoe Lofgren Warns of Trump Administration's Harmful Cuts to NOAA

Bipartisan Support for NOAA

• 🤝 Both Republicans and Democrats have historically collaborated to support NOAA and the broader weather enterprise.
• 💡 Continued support is crucial for research into environmental understanding and prediction, and for translating this knowledge into practical services.

Impact of Recent Weather Events

• ⚠️ The devastating floods in Texas and New Mexico on July 4th serve as a stark reminder of the importance of robust weather forecasting and warning systems.
• 👏 First responders and emergency personnel are acknowledged for their critical efforts during these catastrophic events.

The Weather Reauthorization Act of 2025

• 📝 A bipartisan bill, the Weather Reauthorization Act of 2025, has been reintroduced to modernize and extend NOAA's weather research programs.
• 🎯 This legislation aims to improve communication of weather and climate information and authorize necessary funding.

Trump Administration's Undermining of NOAA

• 📉 Despite public denials, the administration is actively cutting essential NOAA services, leading to job losses and the discontinuation of critical products.
• 🚫 Training and collaborative exercises between meteorologists and local emergency managers have been suspended.
• 💔 Proposed budget cuts by Trump and Secretary Lutnik are described as foolish and potentially leading to more needless American deaths.

Specific Proposed Budget Cuts

• 🔬 The administration proposes to terminate weather, climate, and ocean laboratories and cooperative institutes, and eliminate the NOAA research office.
• 🌪️ Funding for US weather research and tornado/severe storm research programs is slated for significant slashes.
• 🛰️ Critical satellite infrastructure is also at risk, highlighting the importance of NOAA's satellite programs for public good and accurate forecasting.
• 🚨 The abrupt halt in sharing critical weather data by the Defense Department underscores the reliance on satellite data for weather forecasts.