[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1363-S1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, my key topic this morning is to speak about 
the tremendous value that NOAA--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration--provides the American people.
  Over the past few weeks, we have heard alarming reports that the 
Trump administration wants to make good on its Project 2025 promise to 
``break up and downsize'' and privatize portions of NOAA, including the 
National Weather Service. Destroying NOAA in this way would be an 
enormous blunder that would hurt our economy, hamper innovation, and 
increase the risks to American lives and property.
  The fact is that NOAA accounts for just one-tenth of 1 percent of the 
Federal budget. Yet it is delivering information and research that are 
absolutely vital to our economic prosperity.
  The reports we see on the local news, on the Weather Channel, and all 
our smart phones are built on forecasts and information generated by 
the National Weather Service and its array of scientists, satellites, 
and equipment.
  NOAA's tornado and hurricane warning systems provide local emergency 
managers critical information to prepare and respond to storms, often 
up to a week in advance.
  NOAA's aviation forecasts help ensure planes can take off and land at 
their destinations safely.
  NOAA's seasonal forecasts help farmers plant and grow our food.
  On the seas, NOAA's nautical charting and mapping services are used 
by everyone, from recreational boaters to international shipping 
companies. Its exploration of uncharted portions of the ocean floor 
give us insight into parts of our planet that are still as mysterious--
maybe even more mysterious than outer space.

[[Page S1364]]

  NOAA works to protect our fishing industry and bring American seafood 
to kitchen tables around the world, supporting 1.7 million fishing 
jobs, a quarter of a trillion dollars in seafood industry sales, and 
$117 billion in value-added impacts.
  And the list goes on and on and on.
  A study by the American Meteorological Society found that every 
dollar invested in the National Weather Service produces $73 in value 
to the American people.
  NOAA isn't a creature of Washington, DC. It is in Norman, OK, where 
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center tracks severe weather and tornado 
warnings. It is in Florida, where NOAA's National Hurricane Center 
monitors incoming storms to save lives and mitigate property loss. It 
is in Alaska, where scientists at NOAA's Fisheries Science Center work 
to maintain healthy fish populations to support local fishermen.
  It is in my home State of Rhode Island, the Ocean State, where NOAA 
is building Atlantic Marine Operations Center, which will centralize 
its operations and take advantage of the expertise found in Rhode 
Island and our nearby States.
  We have an incredible concentration of oceanographic and marine 
scientists.
  We have the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport. They are 
leaders in research for underseas vessels, issues that are critical to 
our national security. The University of Rhode Island, just across the 
bay, has a nationally recognized School of Oceanography, and they have 
just devoted millions of dollars to upgrade and improve that. They will 
receive a new research vessel shortly.
  We have a partnership with Woods Hole in Massachusetts, just probably 
45 minutes away. This is where the scientific center on oceanography is 
gradually emerging, and so NOAA's arrival will be beneficial. But it 
won't be a result simply of their efforts; it will be the combination 
of what we have already put in place.

  NOAA is, as I said, situated in an area where--the Blue Economy, 
which includes our Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of 
Rhode Island, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, small shipyards, and 
one of the most important fishing ports on the east coast. They will 
become an integral part of that. So they will be sustained and 
supported at the same time they sustain and support our current 
efforts.
  As we face new and ever-growing challenges, including those driven by 
climate change and extreme weather, NOAA's work is more vital than 
ever.
  The President and Mr. Musk's reckless threats to NOAA's workforce, 
its budget, and its scientific research will make us less prepared and 
cost more money and, indeed, lives.
  Craig McLean, who served as NOAA's top scientist during the first 
Trump administration, said of the threats posed by the President and 
Elon Musk:

       It's dire. . . . The way that this is being handled is with 
     ignorance and a sledgehammer rather than the appropriate 
     discretion that's necessary.

  Protecting NOAA and its workforce is an investment in our future, an 
investment in our ability to predict and prepare for natural disasters 
and in the resilience of our planet.
  I urge the President and my colleagues to protect NOAA and ensure it 
can continue to carry out its mission and continue to provide valuable 
services to the American people.
  I yield the floor.

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