Cantwell Requests Oversight Hearing on the National Weather Service’s Ongoing Weather Readiness, Staffing Challenges

Cantwell Requests Oversight Hearing on the National Weather Service's Ongoing Weather Readiness, Staffing Challenges

"The American public depends on NWS's ability to deliver accurate, timely forecasts and warnings, especially as extreme storms, fires, and hurricanes become more frequent and severe."; A record-breaking atmospheric river flooding communities in the PNW highlights the urgent need for fully staffed weather offices

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a letter to Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) yesterday requesting that the Committee hold an oversight hearing to examine the weather readiness challenges currently facing the National Weather Service (NWS), as well as the agency's progress in filling key vacancies. In July, the Office of Personnel Management granted NWS permission to hire 450 mission critical positions to help fill the 550 staff vacancies created just this year, and the Committee has yet to receive information about the status of filling those vacancies.

"The events in Kerrville, Palisades, Asheville, Lahaina, and too many other natural disasters have shown us that providing Americans with more timely and accurate weather information can avoid billions in property losses and save lives. In the State of Washington, we are also seeing more intense rain and flooding, and this week atmospheric rivers are forecasted to bring ten consecutive days of rain to Seattle with potentially widespread, significant river flooding," Sen. Cantwell wrote.

READ MORE:

• The Seattle Times: Major floods sweep Western WA; Skagit River set to shatter record
• The Tri-City Herald: W. Richland braces as Yakima flooding expected to be worst in 3 decades
• Oregon Public Broadcasting: 'The Mississippi River, but in the sky': Meteorologist explains system hitting Pacific Northwest

The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over NWS and oversees the agency's weather readiness efforts to help safeguard local communities across the nation. This includes overseeing the Agency's staffing decisions as well as the agency's procurement of cutting-edge technology to enable improved forecasting performance. These improved forecasts enable NWS to better warn citizens in advance of extreme weather events.

Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Cruz have worked together in the past on bipartisan legislation to support the agency in doing just that, including the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act and the Weather Act Reauthorization Act.

"It is in that spirit that I write to request an oversight hearing focused on the National Weather Service's ongoing weather readiness challenges and its progress towards rebuilding its workforce," continued Sen. Cantwell. "The American public depends on NWS's ability to deliver accurate, timely forecasts and warnings, especially as extreme storms, fires, and hurricanes become more frequent and severe."

For months, Sen. Cantwell has been sounding the alarm about the real, tangible impacts of budget cuts to NOAA and how stripping the agency of resources actively puts Americans in danger, especially in the face of increasingly extreme weather. In July, she sent a letter to President Donald Trump outlining her five-point plan to bolster the United States' weather readiness. More details about each of Sen. Cantwell's recommendations to President Trump can be found HERE.

In June, Sen. Cantwell joined renowned meteorologists from across the country for a virtual presser to sound the alarm on cuts at NOAA's National Weather Service, and called on the Trump Administration to restore the agency to full capacity. In February, Sen. Cantwell voted against confirming Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, citing - among other issues - his "tepid support" for NOAA. She then sent a letter to Lutnick directly following his confirmation calling on him to exempt the NWS from the federal hiring freeze, and protect all NOAA workers from firings "that would jeopardize the safety of the American public."

The full letter to Chair Cruz is below and HERE.

December 9, 2025

The Honorable Ted Cruz

United States Senate

167 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Cruz,

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more destructive. The catastrophic floods in Texas earlier this year that killed at least 135 people, including 27 at Camp Mystic, are a devastating example. The events in Kerrville, Palisades, Asheville, Lahaina, and too many other natural disasters have shown us that providing Americans with more timely and accurate weather information can avoid billions in property losses and save lives. In the State of Washington, we are also seeing more intense rain and flooding, and this week atmospheric rivers are forecasted to bring ten consecutive days of rain to Seattle with potentially widespread, significant river flooding.

As Chair and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation with jurisdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its National Weather Service (NWS), we oversee the Agency's weather readiness efforts to safeguard our communities. That includes making sure that NOAA and NWS have the right people with the right expertise on staff, those staff are in the right locations to provide regional and local assistance, and they are creating and procuring the most cutting-edge technology to consistently improve our weather data collection and prediction. You and I have worked on bipartisan legislation to address some of these issues like the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act that would upgrade and expand the nation's weather communication and radio system, and the Weather Act Reauthorization Act that would enhance weather forecasting and innovation, strengthen emergency preparedness with improved communication, modernize critical research programs, and support farmers with better tools for water management.

It is in that spirit that I write to request an oversight hearing focused on the National Weather Service's ongoing weather readiness challenges and its progress towards rebuilding its workforce. For example, the Presidential Memorandum signed on July 7, 2025, provided a public safety exemption to the federal hiring freeze at NWS. The Office of Personnel Management granted NWS permission to hire 450 mission critical positions including meteorologists, hydrologists, and electronic technicians to help fill the 550 staff vacancies created just this year. We have not received information on NWS's progress toward filling those positions, locations where the addition of staff has allowed NWS to end extraordinary measures including overnight closures and canceled weather balloon launches, and any bottlenecks NWS may be facing in recruitment, clearance, or training. The Committee should also hear from NOAA and NWS on the science, technology, and infrastructure needed, as well as data assimilation and management necessary to improve forecasts and modernize warning technologies. The American public depends on NWS's ability to deliver accurate, timely forecasts and warnings, especially as extreme storms, fires, and hurricanes become more frequent and severe.

I thank you in advance for your consideration of this hearing, and I stand ready to work with you to ensure NOAA, and its NWS, has the resources and workforce it needs to fulfill its vital mission.

Sincerely,