October 9, 2025 — The United States Senate has confirmed the nomination of former NOAA Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs to lead the agency once again as the undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere.
U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Jacobs in February, but the Republican-controlled Senate lacked the Democrat votes needed to clear many of the president’s nominations. In September, Senate Republicans changed the legislative body’s rules to allow them to confirm multiple nominees at a time in bloc votes after accusing their Democrat colleagues of slowing the confirmation process with procedural motions.