OK Republicans Make Uninformed Face Noises About NOAA/NWS Cuts, After Record 152 Tornadoes In State In 2024
Rep. Frank Lucas wasn’t familiar with proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget. Ed. - emphasis added. But the very idea of it, given Oklahoma’s heavy reliance on its data because of its location in the heart of Tornado Alley, was already physically hurting him. “The very discussion about reducing our investment in our scientific research and our weather forecasting causes me to have stomach cramps,” Lucas, a Republican, said.
Multiple outlets reported that the Office of Management and Budget is considering cuts to NOAA that would effectively eliminate its research arm and slash its budget by $1.3 billion. OMB and NOAA did not respond to a request for comment about the cuts, including questions about how they could affect Oklahoma facilities. But Lucas said he hopes future funding of NOAA will be “rational and practical” and “not a step back from progress we’ve made” in weather forecasting.
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While changes at NOAA would have an outsized effect on Oklahoma, which saw a record-breaking 152 tornadoes in 2024, members of its delegation are not the only Republicans signaling they’d be opposed to certain cuts. Lawmakers from Louisiana, in the nation’s most hurricane-prone region, told NOTUS earlier this year that cuts to NOAA and its budget would be a mistake. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins said he was prepared to protect NOAA’s “core purpose.”
Five former leaders of the National Weather Service, a forecasting agency under NOAA that provides weather alerts, are also warning that the proposed cuts could have dire consequences. “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,” they said in a joint letter on May 2. “We know that’s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts.”
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https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/19/noaa-trump-cuts-oklahoma-louisiana-republican-lawmakers-react/83671715007/
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