Colorado lawmakers are pushing back on the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the world’s leading climate, weather and Earth science institutions.
Democratic Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet are demanding Congress preserve funding for Boulder-based NCAR, announcing Thursday that they are putting a hold on a pending Senate appropriations package.
Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse (D) and Jeff Hurd (R) are also circulating a letter of support for NCAR in both the House and Senate, according to Antonio Busalacchi, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the organization that manages NCAR for the National Science Foundation. Neguse did not immediately return a request for comment.
“President Trump is attacking Colorado because we refuse to bend to his corrupt administration,” Hickenlooper and Bennet said in a joint statement released Thursday night. “As Trump’s rampage continues, we will pull every lever available to do what is right for Colorado.”
