New NOAA document spells out further deep Trump cuts
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A new NOAA document sheds further light on the Trump administration's proposed cuts and changes for the weather and climate agency.
Why it matters: The proposed budget would gut federal climate research efforts and spending at a critical moment in the fight to understand and address human-driven climate change.
Driving the news: Most notably, the proposal would eliminate NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), which performs and coordinates climate research.
- Some of OAR's functions would be transferred to the National Weather Service, but others would be cancelled.
"The FY 2026 budget eliminates all funding for climate, weather, and ocean Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes," reads the document.
- "It also does not fund Regional Climate Data and Information, Climate Competitive Research, the National Sea Grant College Program, Sea Grant Aquaculture Research, or the National Oceanographic Partnership Program."
Zoom in: NOAA would also "no longer support climate research grants," the proposal adds.
- What they're saying: "With that statement, the administration signals its intent to have NOAA, arguably the world's leading oceanic and atmospheric governmental organization, completely abandon climate science," writes meteorologist and former NOAA official Alan Gerard.
The big picture: The new details come amid broader Trump administration efforts to slash federal spending on climate research, renewable energy subsidies, electric cars and other fields and technologies widely seen as necessary to our understanding of — and adaptation to — climate change.
- The budget would also shutter Hawai'i's Mauna Loa laboratory, CNN notes, where decades of atmospheric CO2 measurements have shown evidence of anthropogenic climate change.
The other side: "NOAA is laser-focused on delivering actionable science that protects lives and property and boosts economic prosperity," said Kim Doster, the agency's communications director.
- "The FY26 budget request provides ample resources to advance our mission while cutting through bureaucratic bloat and politically driven programs that dilute our impact."
What's next: The proposal is subject to congressional tweaks and approval.
- While Republicans control both chambers, some recent controversial measures — like an attempt to make vast amounts of federal land available for sale — have failed amid bipartisan pushback.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from NOAA.
