Trump Gutted the National Weather Service; Now They’re Scrambling To Rebuild

Washington, DC – The National Weather Service is undergoing a reorganization, making changes to its weather forecasting, and hiring more staff — but experts say it won’t offset the damage from the massive cuts the Trump administration made and could end up leading to more confusion. Trump’s cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service have degraded forecasts and are putting at risk the accuracy of life-saving weather alerts that people rely on during hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding.   

John Morales, Meteorologist and Climate Power Co-Chair, issued the following statement: “By gutting the National Weather Service, the Trump administration shot themselves in the foot—on purpose—only to now discover that it hurts and that they better mend themselves before bleeding out. This administration threw away decades of forecasting expertise and experience, which cannot automatically be replaced by hiring a few new people. These cuts diminished our ability to study, monitor, forecast, and warn for hurricanes and other hazards. Weakening our ability to save lives and property in the face of increasingly severe and frequent extreme weather events is a dangerous mix.” 

Trump has weakened our ability to forecast and monitor hurricanes and extreme weather:

• In his FY 2027 budget, Trump proposed cutting $1.6 billion in NOAA funding—a 26% reduction of the agency’s budget—putting critical climate research and monitoring on the chopping block. 
• Trump fired and planned to cut about 2,300 workers at NOAA, including hurricane hunters and researchers at the National Severe Storm Laboratory.
• NOAA scientists said Trump’s cuts to the agency undermine critical hurricane forecasts.
• Trump gutted the National Weather Service, leaving nearly half of weather forecast offices critically understaffed and 30 of the 122 (24.5%) offices lacking a meteorologist-in-charge.
• Because of the Trump administration’s massive layoffs, NWS eliminated or reduced vital weather balloon launches, which degraded forecasts during previous storms.
• Trump’s reconciliation bill, passed by congressional Republicans, included provisions that cut weather forecasting and research funding for programs that would have improved forecasting, monitoring, and public communication of hazardous weather.
• NOAA announced it would no longer track the number of climate disasters that cost over $1 billion, leaving insurance companies, researchers, and policymakers without key information to help understand major disaster weather patterns.