Push to privatize NASA and NOAA climate research sparks backlash from Maryland lawmakers

The Trump administration’s proposed budget would slash funding for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) science programs and shift long-term climate research toward private companies, drawing sharp criticism from Maryland’s congressional delegation.

Marianne Lavelle reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

The Office of Management and Budget circulated a proposal to cut NASA’s science budget by 50% and eliminate most climate research at NOAA, redirecting NOAA’s focus solely to weather forecasting.
Lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Steny Hoyer, accused the administration of trying to privatize public science agencies and warned that private firms are unlikely to continue long-term climate research.
The cuts align with the conservative “Project 2025” plan, which outlines a broad restructuring of government.

Key quote:

“I think part of their motivation here is to attack the heart of the NASA space science center enterprise in order to contract it out, ultimately to themselves.”

— Chris Van Hollen, U.S. senator from Maryland

Why this matters:

Public science agencies like NASA and NOAA are foundational to understanding climate change, tracking weather, and preparing communities for disasters. These agencies develop tools and run monitoring systems — such as satellites and ocean buoys — that private companies rarely maintain because they don’t generate immediate profit. If NASA and NOAA lose funding and responsibilities, the U.S. risks losing access to vital long-term climate data. Privatization could turn research once freely available into proprietary information, limiting transparency and public access. For Maryland and other regions hosting science hubs, thousands of jobs could be on the line. And while the administration’s stated aim is to cut spending, the cost of less oversight and weakened climate research could be far greater.

insideclimatenews.org

Push to privatize NASA and NOAA climate research sparks backlash from Maryland lawmakers

How old electric car batteries are quietly powering a cleaner future

Get our Good News newsletter

Paris proves cities can clear the air by kicking cars to the curb

Climate protests may shape politics more than you think

Recycling nuclear waste may sound smart, but it’s splitting the atom world in two

Trump’s science cuts could backfire on his own energy agenda

NIH signals end to key research on climate change and health

Forecasts warn of intensifying hurricane season as NOAA faces deep budget cuts

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.