Lawmakers were always going to ask NOAA nominees about the impact of President Donald Trump’s spending and staffing cuts on the agency’s work. Then came the deadly Texas floods.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on Neil Jacobs, Trump’s pick to lead NOAA, and Taylor Jordan to be assistant secretary of Commerce for environmental observation and prediction.
Democrats have called for probes on whether the White House’s crusade to downsize agencies affected the federal government’s ability to warn people about the severe weather. That discussion will likely play out during the hearing.
“Cutting the National Weather Service is one of the most nuts things I’ve ever seen anyone in the government do,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a member of the committee, said in a February social media post. “Everybody needs accurate weather forecasts. This is counterproductive for everybody across the country.”
