1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I'm deeply concerned about the U.S. Department of Commerce’s recent announcement to terminate nearly $4 million in NOAA cooperative agreements with Princeton University, including programs foundational to climate science and weather prediction. These decisions are framed as cost-saving measures and critiques of so-called “exaggerated” climate narratives. But in reality, the affected programs—such as the Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System, Climate Risks & Interactive Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Predictability, and Advancing Prediction: A Regional Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Model for High Resolution Physical Process Studies of the Air Sea Interface—represent much-needed investments in our national preparedness, public safety, and economic resilience. These initiatives form the backbone of our understanding of the Earth’s fundamental systems. They improve seasonal weather forecasting, support agricultural planning, help municipalities prepare for droughts and floods regardless of climate change, and inform national defense and infrastructure planning. They enhance our predictive capabilities—not just for future generations, but for communities navigating real-world threats today. Curtailing these programs undermines the integrity of American scientific leadership and our capacity to make cost-effective decisions in the face of everyday weather. The cost of not having this knowledge—measured in human lives and job losses, property damage, agricultural costs, and economic instability—far exceeds the modest funding these programs require. Please move to reinstate these critical cooperative agreements. Our national weather and climate infrastructure depends on long-term, nonpartisan investment in science. Defunding these efforts weakens the very systems that protect Americans from risk. Thank you for your attention to this issue and for your continued service.