As Texas drowns, Trump's NOAA and FEMA cuts under fire: ‘This is not the time’
The Trump administration's proposed cuts to NOAA are drawing sharp criticism in the wake of devastating floods in Texas that have claimed 52 lives.
A newly released budget document reveals that the Trump administration is proposing to eliminate nearly all federal climate research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to Axios, the administration's plan would entirely defund NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the agency’s primary hub for climate science coordination and research.
The proposal goes even further, calling for the elimination of NOAA’s weather laboratories, as well as research into tornadoes and severe storms. According to The Hill, it would close down the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawai‘i, one of the world’s most important sites for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, and shut down a Miami-based lab that conducts critical hurricane research.
In total, the plan would cut NOAA's full-time staff by 2,061 positions compared to fiscal year 2024, which is a reduction of 17 percent.
"The FY 2026 budget eliminates all funding for climate, weather, and ocean Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes," the document states. "It also does not fund Regional Climate Data and Information, Climate Competitive Research, the National Sea Grant College Program, Sea Grant Aquaculture Research, or the National Oceanographic Partnership Program."
The proposal also states that NOAA would “no longer support climate research grants.”
Also Read: Texas flash floods: 27, including 9 children, dead; search operations on for missing girls
Kim Doster, the agency's communications director, told Axios, “NOAA is laser-focused on delivering actionable science that protects lives and property and boosts economic prosperity.”
"The FY26 budget request provides ample resources to advance our mission while cutting through bureaucratic bloat and politically driven programs that dilute our impact."
Critics argue the proposed changes would dismantle NOAA’s core scientific role.
Former NOAA official Alan Gerard told Axios, "With that statement, the administration signals its intent to have NOAA, arguably the world's leading oceanic and atmospheric governmental organization, completely abandon climate science."
Texas Floods
The Trump administration's proposed cuts to NOAA are drawing sharp criticism in the wake of devastating floods in Texas that have claimed 52 lives and forced widespread evacuations, particularly in Kerr County. Entire communities have been inundated, and emergency crews are still searching for missing persons, including children.
Several social media users slammed Trump administration.
One person posted on X, “Children are missing in the Texas Hill Country flash flood. Praying for the best. This is not a time to be defunding weather research and NOAA.”
Another wrote, "Donald Trump gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service. Now Texas is drowning in floods and at least 23 children are missing."
A third person added, “Trump cut NOAA research observation and early warning systems. We warned about in June. Now people are dead. Kids. I’m enraged. And so exhausted.”
FEMA Centers in South Texas
Earlier this week, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), announced that three Disaster Recovery Centers in South Texas will permanently close next week. The affected locations include the Las Palmas Community Center, the Starr County Courthouse Annex, and the Sebastian Community Center.
The announcement has added fuel to an already growing controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s approach to emergency management.
On June 10, President Donald Trump stated his intention to phase out FEMA after the 2025 hurricane season.
"We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office. “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
