Inside the Moment – April 11, 2025
Headline: White House Budget Plan Seeks to Dismantle NOAA, Slash Climate Research
In a stunning shift that could dramatically weaken America’s climate and environmental science capabilities, the Trump administration is pushing forward a plan to gut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and effectively eliminate its climate research mission, according to newly surfaced documents from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
A leaked “passback” memorandum confirms the administration’s intent to abolish NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) — the agency’s hub for climate, ocean, and atmospheric studies. The proposal would cut NOAA’s budget by nearly $1.6 billion, from $6.1 billion to $4.5 billion, and eliminate dozens of climate-related programs in favor of initiatives aligned with boosting U.S. fossil fuel production.
“It’s the first step in dismantling the agency,” warned former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, who called the changes “calamitous.”
Climate Science Under Siege
The memo proposes to:
Defund or dissolve all of NOAA’s climate labs and university partnerships, including the Sea Grant program that funds coastal research at 34 colleges.
End NOAA’s role in long-running programs like the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and scale back the scope of the upcoming GeoXO satellite program—cutting out key climate monitoring capabilities.
Eliminate NOAA’s education office and most of its environmental grants.
Transfer enforcement of marine mammal protections and endangered species regulation to the Fish and Wildlife Service, a move critics say severs science from policy and puts fragile ecosystems at risk.
“It’s idiotic and abusive,” said Andrew Rosenberg, former deputy director of NOAA Fisheries. “You can’t regulate without the science.”
A Radical Reorientation
The memo, aligned with OMB Director Russ Vought’s policy vision in the conservative “Project 2025” playbook, calls for ending what it deems “climate alarmism” and shifting NOAA toward “supporting American energy.” That includes accelerating fossil fuel permitting, scrapping conservation efforts, and focusing only on weather data — not climate science.
Although some core services, like the National Weather Service, remain funded, most research, monitoring, and restoration programs face deep cuts or elimination. The memo even directs NOAA to divest from NASA’s involvement in the GeoXO program, undermining a five-decade satellite partnership.
“Passback eliminates functions of the Department that are misaligned with the President’s agenda,” the memo states, explicitly targeting education, research, and climate-focused spending.
Backlash Builds
Critics say the plan undermines national preparedness for climate impacts, natural disasters, and oceanic health. It would also harm commercial and recreational fisheries that depend on NOAA science to inform quotas and protect habitats.
“They may not love NOAA’s regulations,” Rosenberg noted, “but the fishing industry trusts the science. That trust is about to disappear.”
The proposal also contradicts statements made by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who told senators during his confirmation that he had “no interest” in breaking up NOAA — a promise now in serious doubt.
With Congress holding the final authority on appropriations, lawmakers like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are expected to push back hard.
“This is a dangerous, reckless blueprint,” Van Hollen said. “We will fight it every step of the way.”
As the White House moves to reshape NOAA’s future, the fate of America’s climate science leadership — and its ability to respond to environmental change — hangs in the balance.
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