Save climate science satellites, protect the science and data

The Trump regime's reported plan to terminate the OCO-2 and OCO-3 satellite missions is deeply concerning and must be stopped. These satellites provide invaluable data on carbon dioxide levels and the overall health of our planet, playing a crucial role in monitoring climate change and guiding our response efforts. Terminating their missions would represent an egregious waste of taxpayer funds, as the vast majority of their budget has already been spent on design, manufacture, and launch. Destroying OCO-2 would be an irreversible act, as the satellite would burn up in Earth's atmosphere, permanently losing the cutting-edge measuring capabilities it provides. Not only does this satellite offer unparalleled insights into global CO2 emissions and the carbon cycle, but it has also unexpectedly contributed to monitoring crop yields and detecting droughts, benefiting both scientists and farmers alike. This decision directly contradicts the overwhelming scientific consensus on the urgency of addressing climate change. Losing these vital sources of data would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather events and climate disasters. At a time when we should be expanding our monitoring capabilities, the Trump regime is actively undermining them. I urge Congress to use its constitutional power of the purse to block any attempts to defund or scale down the operations of these Earth-observing satellites. Representative Zoe Lofgren rightly stated that eliminating funds or scaling down their operations "would be catastrophic and would severely impair our ability to forecast, manage, and respond to severe weather and climate disasters." Congress must take decisive action to prevent this administration from illegally repurposing appropriated funds and preserving these missions that are vital to our planet's future.