Wasserman Schultz Secures Bipartisan Support to Protect NOAA Forecasting in 2026 House Funding Bill

Washington, D.C.-Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) secured a key provision in a House funding bill that would protect the research capabilities at the federal agency responsible for keeping Americans safe from extreme weather and climate threats. This bipartisan measure ensures that key forecasting and climate work at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is protected in the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The effort, co-led by U.S. Reps. Mark Alford (MO-04), Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), was approved by the House Appropriations Committee late last night. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote, then onto negotiations with the Senate.

This year, NOAA has already suffered from major funding freezes and staff cuts. The Trump Administration proposed closing over a dozen weather and climate sites, including Miami's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and its Hurricane Research Division, and Trump's proposed budget calls for more than $2 billion in NOAA cuts. Wasserman Schultz's amendment directs NOAA to avoid closing or consolidating laboratories and university cooperatives that provide vital extreme weather and climate disaster data. This measure would help protect NOAA's ability to keep American families safer from deadly hurricanes or extreme storms.

"Right before hurricane season started, the staff at South and Central Florida NOAA facilities were already being gutted. Our most senior news meteorologist in South Florida warned viewers, on air, that he may be unable to provide accurate forecasts due to a lack of critical data," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. "This cannot continue to happen to an agency as vital as NOAA. Every minute of warning could mean hundreds of fewer funerals. Accurate cones of impact allow more families to put smarter preparation and evacuation plans in place, and that's exactly what NOAA provides for all of us. I'm so proud that my bipartisan amendment to protect NOAA's current facilities in the face of devastating cuts passed in the committee. And I'll fight to make it law."

Read the full amendment here.