NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs on Tuesday argued that proposed budget cuts would not curtail his agency’s research projects, as he sought to assuage members of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee over the Trump administration’s fiscal 2027 request.
The Subcommittee on Environment reviewed the proposed $4.4 billion budget, a reduction of $1.6 billion over the current year. The White House said the cuts would target climate work.
Lawmakers on both sides raised concerns about forecasting for weather incidents specific to their districts — like flooding, wildfires and hurricanes — as well as broader reductions, like the elimination of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
The hearing happened as the House Appropriations Committee prepares to release its bill to fund NOAA and the rest of the Commerce Department next fiscal year.
