Dismantling NOAA Would Break Lifesaving Weather and Climate Data and Tools People in US Rely on Daily

WASHINGTON—Following the illegal shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Elon Musk and his “DOGE” representatives have reportedly set their sights on dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Yesterday, “DOGE” illegally entered NOAA’s Maryland headquarters, bypassing security and seizing internal systems. The Trump administration is also likely to slash the agency’s budget and staff significantly and gut their work related to diversity, equity and justice, as has been done across other parts of the federal government.

Created under President Nixon, NOAA is one of the primary science agencies in the federal government. It provides data and analysis—most notably lifesaving information that aids in forecasting U.S. weather and climate extremes—used daily by the public, local and state governments, emergency responders, and the private sector. The Project 2025 manifesto, which has been heavily utilized by President Trump and Musk’s “DOGE,” calls for dismantling NOAA and commercializing its forecasting work, making this essential data largely inaccessible to the public for free. This week, President Donald Trump also nominated meteorologist Dr. Neil Jacobs, who was at the center of the infamous “Sharpiegate” scandal in 2019, to serve as NOAA administrator.

Below is a statement by Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, the senior social scientist for climate vulnerability at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

“If the Trump administration and Musk’s operation unilaterally gut NOAA, this would be an illegal overreach of presidential authority that will be swiftly challenged in the courts. Furthermore, the consequences of dismantling NOAA would be exceedingly dire for people’s lives and livelihoods, the economy and critical infrastructure.

“Every person in the United States relies on NOAA data and agency experts in their daily life whether they realize it or not. Daily weather forecasts, farming outlooks, coastal flooding projections, wildfire alerts, and hurricane tracking are all dependent on the best available NOAA data. Unsurprisingly, no other U.S. agency has the mandate, tools or scientists at the ready to do the work NOAA routinely performs and provides for free for the public good.

“In a world where catastrophic climate change impacts and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, I can think of nothing worse than turning this scientific powerhouse into a skeletal operation. If President Trump moves forward with demolishing NOAA, he will jeopardize most people’s access to life-saving information, while only the rich might be able to afford private data sources.

“Congress must challenge unlawful Trump administration actions and acknowledge that decimating the nation’s premier climate science agency will not make the existential climate change threat disappear. The secretary of commerce—who promised during his confirmation hearing that NOAA wouldn’t be dismantled—must also speak up forcefully against any destructive actions. The United States is nearing a constitutional crisis that not only threatens individual agencies and their vital missions, but our very democracy and government.”

UCS will be closely following any downsizing of NOAA and efforts to privatize agency data, as well as the confirmation process for Dr. Jacobs. Contact UCS Climate and Energy Media Manager Ashley Siefert Nunes by email at [email protected] or by phone at +1 952-239-0199 to speak with Dr. Declet-Barreto or another UCS expert. English- and Spanish-speaking experts are available for interviews.

Additional UCS Resources:

• The blogpost “We Need a Strong and Independent NOAA to Protect Our Lives and Homes from Climate Change.”
• The blogpost “What the U.S. Needs from a New NOAA Administrator (Science, Please).”
• The blogpost “New Emails Show Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs is Unfit to Lead NOAA.”