[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 82 (Thursday, May 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NOAA CONTRIBUTES TO OUR ECONOMY AND WELL-BEING

  (Ms. Bonamici of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, Oregonians at home and colleagues in the 
House often hear me talk about NOAA, but I want to use this time to 
explain how this agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, contributes to the economy and to our well-being.
  NOAA is not just a four-letter acronym or a Federal building in 
Maryland, it is the backbone of this Nation's environmental safety and 
resilience, which support better health and a thriving economy. When 
the Earth shakes the coastline of my district in the Pacific Northwest, 
as it inevitably will, it will put the lives and safety of thousands of 
coastal residents at risk from a devastating tsunami. The first 
lifesaving alert they will hear is because of NOAA.
  As a seismologist at the Alaska Earthquake Center said: NOAA creates 
the information needed by emergency managers, mariners, and everyday 
citizens: Where is the safe zone in my town? How long will I have? 
Where should boats go? How do I stay informed?
  When someone fishing in Astoria, Oregon, sets her catch limits for 
Dungeness crab or pink shrimp and when she checks the marine weather 
forecast to decide whether to put her crew out on the water or to keep 
them safe at shore, that is because of the workers at NOAA.
  At a recent Oregon fisheries roundtable, one fisherman made the 
stakes clear: NOAA's forecasts of sea state and weather save lives.
  Last year, blooms of toxic algae shut down beaches, contaminated 
shellfish, and put about 40 Oregonians in the hospital with a paralytic 
shellfish poisoning. States, hospitals, and families deserve accurate 
information about what they are exposed to and what they consume. This 
should not be a luxury. This is a public service and expectation that 
we should be able to rely on, and we have it because of the hardworking 
staff at NOAA.
  Planes avoid turbulence. School districts decide whether it is safe 
to have class during a snowstorm. People seek shelter during a tornado 
or a hurricane. Weather forecasts are available at our fingertips, and 
behind every alert, every early warning, every saved life are the 
people at NOAA.
  I have spoken with shrimpers in Newport, Oregon, and scientists at 
Oregon State University, Tribal leaders along the Columbia River, and 
teachers in Hillsboro. They have all highlighted how NOAA's work is 
far-reaching, and this is just in one of 435 congressional districts.

  Students in Oregon recently told me that the Sea Grant program, run 
by NOAA, helped spark their love for marine biology and education. 
Another student said Sea Grant inspired their interest in ocean 
technology and set them on the path to study engineering. These 
students understand how NOAA's science programs can protect their 
communities and change lives, so it is hard to understand why so many 
of my colleagues and this administration are throwing NOAA overboard 
and then hoping a storm won't come.
  NOAA has been threatened, and its budget is being slashed by this 
administration. In past Congresses, we have come together to sustain 
this funding because its bipartisan work is valued across red, blue, 
and purple districts and States. We have successfully fought back 
against attempts to muzzle its experts, and we will continue to fight 
back and win.
  Let me be clear: Defunding NOAA will hurt Oregonians, Americans, and 
people across this country. It puts the lives of fishers and their 
crews at risk. It leaves towns without early warning. It undermines 
economies built on tourism, shipping, and fisheries.
  Slashing the budget of NOAA doesn't save money. A 2019 analysis shows 
NOAA provides $11 in economic benefit for every dollar we invest. That 
is not charity, it is infrastructure. NOAA's ocean observation system, 
for example, drives economies and saves lives.
  Captain Dan Jordan, a Columbia River bar pilot, sees this every day. 
He said: ``Ships crossing the Columbia River bar face one of the most 
dangerous harbor entrances in the world. . . . bar pilots rely on 
weather forecasts, real-time buoy data along with wave and current 
models . . .'' to safely cross the bar.
  I agree with Captain Jordan. Just as we need roads, rails, and 
broadband, we need buoys, satellites, and tide gauges so our ships can 
safely transport goods in and out of our ports. This is navigation, 
weather, safety, commerce, and, yes, climate science.
  Proposals to gut NOAA's funding by more than 25 percent, to decimate 
the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would, as the former 
director of that office said, take our scientific footing back to the 
1950s. Their mission is to develop the best possible science to save 
lives and property in a changing climate. To cut it is not fiscally 
conservative, it is strategically catastrophic.
  When did we become so afraid of knowledge? When did we decide that 
protecting political egos was more important than protecting people's 
lives? NOAA scientists are not enemies of the State. They are guardians 
of it.
  To the next generation, I know many of you feel disillusioned. You 
see the ocean becoming more acidic. You see storms getting stronger. 
You wonder if anyone in power is listening. Let this moment be a 
promise. I hear you, and the workers of NOAA hear you, as well.
  Let's reject the cynical policies of willful ignorance. Let's not 
stand in opposition to science but in service to it because when the 
sky darkens, the tide rises, and the wind begins to howl, it is the 
workers of NOAA who will tell us what comes next.

                          ____________________