{"id":2457722,"date":"2025-07-09T22:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T02:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-noaa-pick-pledges-full-weather-service-staffing-but-supports-budget-cuts-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T22:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T02:14:21","slug":"trumps-noaa-pick-pledges-full-weather-service-staffing-but-supports-budget-cuts-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-noaa-pick-pledges-full-weather-service-staffing-but-supports-budget-cuts-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s NOAA pick pledges full weather service staffing, but supports budget cuts &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-noaa-pick-pledges-full-weather-service-staffing-but-supports-budget-cuts-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2457722&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Neil Jacobs, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Management (NOAA), testified before the Senate Commerce Committee pledging to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prioritize rebuilding full staffing<\/a> at the National Weather Service following extensive layoffs, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-gets-the-worst-news-from-latest-poll-by-cnn-on-debt-ceiling-talks\/\" title=\"CNN Poll: Bad News for Biden on Debt Ceiling Talks\">supporting budget cuts<\/a> to NOAA&#8217;s weather and climate research programs. Jacobs emphasized the importance of fully staffing forecast offices to improve forecasting and public alerts, especially in light of recent deadly floods in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Despite lawmakers&#8217; bipartisan concerns that proposed budget reductions-including the elimination of NOAA&#8217;s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research-could compromise the agency&#8217;s core mission and affect forecast accuracy, Jacobs affirmed his support for the president&#8217;s budget. He promoted partnerships with private industry and modernization efforts such as moving forecasting systems to the cloud to enhance data processing and communication.<\/p>\n<p>During the hearing, Jacobs addressed past controversy related to &#8220;Sharpiegate,&#8221; when NOAA under his acting leadership issued a false warning about Hurricane Dorian&#8217;s path, admitting he would handle such political pressure differently now. His nomination sparked tense exchanges with senators over climate science, research funding, and the agency&#8217;s future direction, highlighting the ongoing conflict between NOAA&#8217;s scientific goals and the administration&#8217;s skepticism toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/goldman-sachs-commits-to-reach-net-zero-carbon-emissions-by-2030\/\" title=\"Goldman Sachs Commits To Reach Net-Zero Carbon Emissions By 2030\">climate change initiatives<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump&rsquo;s NOAA pick pledges full weather service staffing, but supports budget cuts<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2170431\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"President Donald Trump\"> Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s nominee to lead the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/noaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)\">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> pledged to prioritize rebuilding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3339032\/federal-workers-warn-safety-threat-weather-noaa-layoffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"National Weather Service&rsquo;s\">National Weather Service<\/a> after a wave of firings and buyouts, while simultaneously defending proposed cuts to weather and climate research.<\/p>\n<p>Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Neil Jacobs, tapped to lead NOAA, called for sharper forecasting tools and clearer public alerts, just days after historic flooding in Central Texas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3464006\/flash-floods-central-texas-camp-mystic-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">left more than 100 dead<\/a> and dozens missing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3467425\/trump-administration-sues-california-over-egg-standards-that-drive-up-prices\/\">Trump administration sues California over egg standards that drive up prices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3467339\/michelle-obama-confidence-gender-gap-men-have-it-havent-earned-it\/\">Michelle Obama on confidence gender gap: Men have it, even when they &#8216;haven&rsquo;t earned&#8217; it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3467403\/doj-subpoenas-doctor-child-transgender-procedures\/\">DOJ subpoenas doctors involved in child transgender procedures<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;If confirmed, I want to ensure that staffing weather service offices is a top priority,&rdquo; Jacobs said.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really important for the people to be there, because they have relationships with people in the local community,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re a trusted source.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Although Jacobs wasn&rsquo;t asked to comment on the causes of the Texas flooding, he underscored the importance of ensuring that all 120-plus forecast offices across the country are fully staffed.<\/p>\n<p>The hearing came one week after the administration proposed eliminating NOAA&rsquo;s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the agency&rsquo;s hub for climate science. The move is part of a broader federal reorganization that includes Trump&rsquo;s push to revamp, and possibly eliminate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers from both parties expressed concern over the proposed cuts, questioning whether NOAA could still deliver timely, accurate forecasts during extreme weather events. <\/p>\n<p>Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the committee&rsquo;s top Democrat, warned that eliminating over 2,000 jobs and slashing $2.2 billion from NOAA&rsquo;s budget would jeopardize its &ldquo;core mission,&rdquo; especially research critical to improving forecast accuracy and lead times.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs insisted NOAA would still meet its mission, with many functions shifted to the National Weather Service or Ocean Service. But Cantwell pushed back, warning against gutting essential programs or outsourcing responsibilities. She likened the plan to Boeing&rsquo;s failed decision to cut safety inspectors and rely on self-certification, which led to fatal oversight failures.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;That didn&rsquo;t turn out very well, because they missed a lot, because it turned out that those safety people actually were doing something really critically important,&rdquo; Cantwell said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m cautioning you, and I don&rsquo;t agree with the Trump administration proposal on cutting these programs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), a vocal opponent of Trump&rsquo;s proposed NOAA budget for fiscal 2026, pressed  Jacobs on whether he backed the spending reductions.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs responded, &ldquo;Yes, I support the president&rsquo;s budget.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>NOAA was one of the agencies targeted by the Heritage Foundation&rsquo;s Project 2025, which called for the administration to break up the climate agency. The policy blueprint called the department &ldquo;one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs repeatedly highlighted the possibility for partnerships between government scientists and private industry, a key element of the Project 2025 policy framework promoted by Republican strategists. However, when Sen. Ben Ray Luj&aacute;n (D-NM) pressed him on whether Americans should be required to pay for access to top-tier forecasting data, Jacobs replied that they should not.<\/p>\n<p>In an exchange with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX),&nbsp;Jacobs described steps he would take to modernize NOAA Weather Radio, a warning system he credited with saving his life during a 1996 tornado. Jacobs also went on to&nbsp;propose upgrading the agency&rsquo;s communications infrastructure to better reach the public during overnight emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>As part of that, he pushed to move forecasting systems to the cloud, which would allow for faster data processing and enable forecasters to operate remotely, including from emergency operations centers, something he called &ldquo;really advantageous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Neil Jacobs, nominee to be under the Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA administrator), testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill, July 9, 2025. (Francis Chung\/POLITICO via AP Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Addressing Cruz&rsquo;s concerns about U.S. forecasting lagging behind Europe, Jacobs said narrowing the gap would depend on improving data collection, advancing assimilation methods, and unifying the country&rsquo;s modeling systems.<\/p>\n<p>Jacobs&rsquo; nomination comes amid renewed scrutiny over the 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3464461\/who-is-neil-jacobs-trump-nominee-lead-noaa-texas-floods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"&ldquo;Sharpiegate&rdquo; controversy\">&ldquo;Sharpiegate&rdquo; controversy<\/a>. As acting NOAA administrator, he approved a statement supporting Trump&rsquo;s false claim that Hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama. The move contradicted local forecasts and led to a finding that Jacobs had violated the agency&rsquo;s scientific integrity policy.<\/p>\n<p>Luj&aacute;n pressed Jacobs on the incident, noting his past defense of the decision and the pressure officials reportedly felt at the time. Asked whether he would make the same call again, Jacobs admitted there were things he would do differently and said he had since implemented internal safeguards. When Luj&aacute;n interrupted to ask directly whether he would sign off on a false statement under political pressure, Jacobs answered, &ldquo;No.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tensions flared again when Sen. Markey confronted Taylor Jordan, Trump&rsquo;s nominee for NOAA deputy administrator, about his past use of a social media handle referencing the climate change-denying book <em>The Greatest Hoax<\/em> by former Sen. James Inhofe.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was a young man&rsquo;s attempt at wit,&rdquo; Jordan said. &ldquo;There is really no deeper meaning.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Markey shot back, &ldquo;If you want to be a comedian, you should maybe go to open mic night.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3466823\/trump-noaa-pick-neil-jacobs-senate-confirmation-sharpiegate-mistake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"TRUMP&rsquo;S NOAA PICK NEIL JACOBS SAYS HE WOULDN&rsquo;T REPEAT &lsquo;SHARPIEGATE&rsquo; MISTAKE\"><strong>TRUMP&rsquo;S NOAA PICK NEIL JACOBS SAYS HE WOULDN&rsquo;T REPEAT &lsquo;SHARPIEGATE&rsquo; MISTAKE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Throughout the hearing, Jacobs walked a careful line between NOAA&rsquo;s scientific mission and the president&rsquo;s resistance to climate science. When Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) asked whether NOAA was spending enough on core research, Jacobs replied, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if you can spend too much on research.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-06\/NOAA%20FY26%20Congressional%20Justification.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> proposal<\/a> to eliminate NOAA&rsquo;s climate research arm would transfer some responsibilities to the National Weather Service, but others could be canceled altogether. The plan still requires congressional approval, and lawmakers have until the end of September to finalize the budget or pass a temporary funding measure to avoid a government shutdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2170431\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2170431\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s NOAA nominee vows full staffing but backs cuts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2457723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AP25190560944133.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38037,50334,56800,3634,58777],"class_list":["post-2457722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-budget-cuts","tag-noaa","tag-staffing-2","tag-trump","tag-weather-service"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AP25190560944133.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457722"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2457726,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457722\/revisions\/2457726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2457723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}