Schatz Vows To Fight Cuts To NOAA Funding Following Reports Of White House Plant To Slash Budget

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, released the following statement after a Washington Post report revealed that the Trump Administration plans to make deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“I am shocked by reports of a proposal to cut the agency that forecasts our weather and manages our fisheries by almost a billion dollars—close to twenty percent of its budget.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration saves lives from hurricanes, tornados, and floods; keeps fisheries healthy so we can have salmon, shrimp, and other seafood; and supports science education so that our kids can have good jobs managing our oceans and coasts.  These services are critical to the American people.  I hope these reports are untrue, but if proven accurate, I will fight as hard as I can to protect NOAA’s funding.”