Trump budget plan threatens NASA and NOAA climate programs with severe funding cuts

A sweeping White House proposal would slash science budgets at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dismantling key climate research efforts and prompting warnings from former agency officials about national security and economic risks.

Gabrielle Canon reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Internal budget documents reveal plans to cut NOAA's climate research funding from $485 million to $171 million, effectively eliminating its oceanic and atmospheric research division.
NASA would lose 20% of its overall funding, with deep reductions to planetary science and the cancellation of major missions, including the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope and Mars Sample Return.
The proposed cuts also target the National Marine Fisheries Service and other climate-related programs, redirecting priorities to align with expanding fossil fuel energy development.

Key quote:

“This proposal will cost lives. When a room full of doctors tell you that it’s cancer, firing the doctors does not cure you.”

— Craig McLean, former director of NOAA's office of oceanic and atmospheric research

Why this matters:

Research funded by NASA and NOAA doesn’t just drive scientific discovery — it supports public health, food security, disaster preparedness, and global diplomacy. NOAA's ocean, weather, and climate data help communities brace for hurricanes, droughts, and flooding. NASA's Earth-observing satellites track everything from wildfires to shrinking ice caps. Gutting these programs risks making the U.S. blind to fast-moving environmental threats and vulnerable to crises that science could otherwise help predict or mitigate. While Congress has the final say, the proposed budget is a clear signal of political hostility toward climate science. If enacted, the consequences could ripple through sectors as diverse as agriculture, insurance, emergency management, and even national defense, where accurate environmental forecasting is critical.

www.theguardian.com

Smoke billows from an industrial chimney at sunset near several homes.

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Judge rules EPA overstepped in cutting pollution grants

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from canceling $600 million in environmental justice grants aimed at helping underserved communities reduce pollution.

Rachel Frazin reports forThe Hill.

In short:

The grants stem from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $3 billion for environmental justice programs.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden had planned to distribute the $600 million through regional groups, which would fund local efforts, before the Trump EPA terminated the grants earlier this year.
Judge Adam Abelson ruled the EPA's cancellation exceeded its authority “precisely because they are ‘environmental justice’ programs."

Key quote:
The move included a “lack of any reasoned decision-making, or reasoned explanation.”

— Judge Adam Abelson, U.S. District Court

Why this matters:
Underserved communities often face the greatest environmental health risks and climate impacts. These grants were designed to help local groups respond to long-standing environmental harms and health risks, and canceling them would have cut off vital support just as cleanup efforts were beginning to gain traction. The Trump administration has also attempted to cancel a similar $20 billion program that would fund climate-friendly projects.

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