1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

NOAA’s vital work ranges from the depths of our ocean’s floor to the reaches of space. From predicting the daily weather forecasts that we can access on our phones to warning us about hurricanes, NOAA’s services touch the lives of everyone across the United States nearly every single day. President Donald Trump is weakening NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) through massive budget cuts, deep staff reductions, and the dismantling of core climate research operations. The administration proposed cutting NOAA's budget by upwards of $1.7 billion (roughly 27%), and previously passed sweeping legislation that slashed $200 million from weather forecasting and hazardous weather communication programs. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) has faced massive funding threats, with proposed terminations of climate research labs and cooperative institutes that supply critical forecasting data. Hundreds of NOAA and NWS employees, including researchers and forecasters, have faced job cuts and early retirements. These actions are straining daily weather forecasting and compromising the nation's ability to monitor severe weather events and long-term climate trends. Congress must stop this now and immediately begin reinstating staff and funding!