July 16, 2025 — Members of Congress are expressing renewed support for the nation’s weather forecasting system after deadly flooding in Texas and elsewhere put the focus on cuts within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Trump administration proposed cutting NOAA’s fiscal 2026 budget to $4.5 billion — a 27 percent, nearly $1.7 billion reduction from the estimated fiscal 2025 spending.
But Senate appropriators from both parties highlighted the importance of NOAA, and particularly the National Weather Service housed within it, in a meeting last week.