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.
Related: Opinion: EPA’s climate denial rejects America’s own science
