At nomination hearing, Cantwell takes Dabbar to task over admin’s decision to slash 2.5K employees from NOAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, grilled Paul Dabbar –Trump’s nominee to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce – on the administration’s plans to gut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including slashing critical workforce members and programs, and moving key services to other agencies.

“The Department continues to slash essential workers at NOAA, with approximately 2,500 employees of the 12,000-person workforce fired or otherwise departing since the start of this administration. These staffing shortages are already impacting NOAA’s core functions, including reduced and suspended weather balloon launches at many of our weather forecast offices -- and I can't tell you how important this is for us, particularly related to fire season, these NOAA weather activities are giving us essential data about how best to prepare for fire season -- and further cuts are expected in the coming weeks,” Sen. Cantwell said to Dabbar during his nomination hearing.

“On top of that, the Trump administration is pursuing a 2026 budget proposal that would reduce NOAA’s budget by more than 27%, including a 75% cut to the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the closures of all its weather climate labs, and an 85% cut to the Office of Space Commerce,” Sen. Cantwell continued.  “I can tell you this -- Mr. Dabbar, as [you are] somebody who ran a science organization, that we are going to hold this administration accountable for the cuts in science. It is not acceptable. Innovation is the way we're going to grow our economy. It is the way we are going to protect our industries that exist today.

Sen. Cantwell added:  “At the same time, the administration is calling for major reorganizations of NOAA, including moving part of the National [Marine Fisheries] Service to the Department of Interior. I’m not sure why the most important management resource we have for our fisheries, having our science management system, we would give up to the Department of Interior.  I'm particularly shocked to see this proposal, given that Mr. Lutnick promised to me during this confirmation hearing that ‘I have no interest in separating NOAA.’ And that breaking up NOAA ‘is not on my agenda.’ What changed?”

In February, Sen. Cantwell voted against the confirmation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, citing – among other issues – his “tepid support” for NOAA. She then sent a letter to Lutnick directly following his confirmation calling on him to exempt the National Weather Service (NWS) from the federal hiring freeze, and protect all NOAA workers from firings "that would jeopardize the safety of the American public."

NOAA provides critical services to the nation including weather forecasts, extreme storm tracking and monitoring, tools to enable communities to adapt to sea level rise and climate change, supporting fisheries management, and conserving marine mammals and other protected species.

Sen. Cantwell is a champion of NOAA and helped secure $3.3 billion in NOAA investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, boost science needed to understand changing weather and climate patterns, and invest in advanced computer technologies that are critical for extreme weather prediction and emergency response. Her Fire Ready Nation Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen NOAA’s ability to help forecast, prevent, and fight wildfires, passed the Commerce committee unanimously earlier this year and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks in the hearing today can be watched HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

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