07.13.25

Investments, Not Cuts in NOAA & Weather Readiness, Will Save Lives & Dollars, Cantwell Tells CBS’s Face the Nation

Interview focuses on importance of federally-funded weather forecasting and disaster preparedness as nation faces more extreme weather events; Cantwell previews letter to President Trump outlining 5-point plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation – the committee that oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) – joined CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan to discuss the importance of funding for NOAA and the NWS.

“The real question is, is, what can we do to improve the weather forecasting of this nation? To use science, to use better assets, to really do a once-in-a-lifetime investment to upgrade the system so that we could have given people in Kerrville more time, more warning? And the same for tornadoes and hurricanes and fires,” Sen. Cantwell said.

“The more you can move people and resources out of the way of a storm, the more you can predict what might happen, the better prepared we're going to be. And that's going to help us save lives, and certainly save dollars.”

NOAA’s cutting-edge science informs NWS weather forecasts, which help local communities prepare for and respond to events like the recent deadly floods in Central Texas. President Trump’s proposed budget would slash NOAA’s funding by $1.8 billion – a 27% cut – and his DOGE team has caused over 2,000 job losses at the agency since January.

On Wednesday, Sen. Cantwell questioned Dr. Neil Jacobs, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head NOAA, about his plans to preserve the agency’s mission as the administration continues to hack away at NOAA’s budget, workforce, and programs.

Last month, Sen. Cantwell joined renowned meteorologists from across the country for a virtual presser to sound the alarm on the NWS cuts, and called on the Trump Administration to restore the agency to full capacity.

Sen. Cantwell and Brennan also discussed President Trump’s ongoing trade war. Video of the full segment is HERE and HERE; a transcript is HERE.

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