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

A bipartisan group of senators and two Democratic House committees are challenging the National Science Foundation's (NSF) plan to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a crucial ocean monitoring network. I expect you to support their efforts in any way possible. The OOI, a $386 million network of over 900 sensors, has tracked ocean circulation, climate change, and extreme weather for a decade, with data freely available and contributing to over 500 scientific publications. The NSF plans to remove most OOI instruments by 2027, citing 'evolving scientific priorities,' a decision that scientists say was made without warning or scientific review. Senators, led by Jeff Merkley and Lisa Murkowski, argue the dismantling threatens coastal community safety and undermines national monitoring capabilities, urging a halt and thorough review. House Democrats accuse the NSF of illegal action, stating that the agency failed to provide the required 30-day congressional notification before decommissioning assets valued at over $2.5 million, and criticize the financial waste of destroying scientific infrastructure. This is clearly part of Trump's war on science and an effort to restrict research about climate change. This make complete sense, given the Trump insists on propping up the fossil fuel industry. This kind of pig headed stupidity make us less safe now, because we are less capable of predicting extreme weather. It also makes us less safe in the future as it refuses to gather the information needed to combat climate change. This administration, and the Republican party in general, are apparently happy to see the world burn, so long as they can line their pockets before that happens.