4 takeaways from Trump NOAA nominee's confirmation hearing
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A NOAA sign. Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images
The appearance of Neil Jacobs, President Trump's NOAA nominee, before a Senate panel on Wednesday was fairly revealing by the standards of these kinds of things.
Why it matters: NOAA is a major climate research agency, and its National Weather Service plays a huge public safety role — especially as climate change intensifies some extreme weather events.
- And NOAA is under extra scrutiny following the deadly, catastrophic flooding in Texas.
Here are four themes from the hearing with Jacobs and other nominees...
1. He defended proposed budget cuts. Jacobs told the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee that he supported the White House push to slash NOAA's funding by over one-quarter. Those cuts would include climate and weather R&D.
- Driving the news: When Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked about the effect on weather readiness, Jacobs responded that much of the work is being "transitioned" from research to operations, with "mission essential" functions at NWS and NOAA's Ocean Service continuing.
- The other side: Markey flatly disagreed. "A 27% cut is going to have an impact, because there's a definite ripple effect that occurs when that kind of funding is slashed," he said, noting that storms are becoming "enhanced."
2. Jacobs sees room for NWS improvement. He praised NWS' performance in the Texas flooding, echoing others in the meteorology world.
- Yes, but: Looking ahead, Jacobs, who ran NOAA on an acting basis in Trump's first term, sees opportunities around using satellite-based communications and improvements to NOAA's weather radio system to better get messages to the public.
- The intrigue: He also touted the use of post-disaster assessments akin to what the National Transportation Safety Board performs for accidents. "We need the data to understand what went right, what went wrong, whether people got the warnings, if they did or didn't, and if they did, did they not understand them?" he said.
3. Jacobs emphasized NWS staffing. The service has faced personnel cuts under Trump 2.0, but Jacobs said: "I will ensure that staffing the weather service office is its top priority."
- The big picture: "It's really important for the people to be there because they have relationships with the people in the local community," he said.
4. He got in and got out on climate change. The hearing didn't have much extended back-and-forth about the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming, which Trump largely rejects.
- Friction point: Asked if he agrees that human activities have been the "dominant cause" of warming since the mid-20th century, Jacobs said there are "natural signals mixed in there, too" but in the absence of natural signals that might "dominate that," he agreed there's human influence on temps and weather.
- What we're watching: Jacobs said under questioning from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) that climate and weather data should be "readily accessible by the public." But Trump officials are removing various government pages.
The bottom line: Jacobs didn't commit any unforced errors. Given that and his scientific credentials, he stands a good chance of being confirmed.
