Magaziner Leads Roundtable on Impact of Trump’s NOAA Cuts on Rhode Island Fishing Industry and Environment

PROVIDENCE, RI - On Monday, March 3, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. ET, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02), member of the House Natural Resources Committee, joined Rhode Island fishing, aquaculture, environmental, and conservation leaders at Save the Bay in Providence for a roundtable discussion to highlight the devastating impact that cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will have on the Ocean State's economy and environment.

"When Donald Trump and Elon Musk and the people who they have slashing government agencies are making decisions in Washington, D.C., they're not thinking about the impact on Rhode Island fishermen. They're not thinking about the impact they're having on our economy here in Rhode Island. They are seeing numbers on a computer screen, we are seeing people's jobs and livelihoods threatened," said Magaziner during his remarks. "We are raising the alarm because we want to make sure that we do everything that we can to support working people in Rhode Island in the face of these cuts."

View or download full video remarks from all speakers during today's press conference here.

View or download photos from today's full roundtable discussion here.

BACKGROUND

In Rhode Island, NOAA supports a fishing and aquaculture industry that supports thousands of jobs, provides lifesaving weather forecasting, and funds research that strengthens the state's blue economy and conservation of ocean resources. Proposed cuts threaten jobs, local businesses, and the livelihoods of Rhode Islanders who depend on healthy oceans and sustainable fisheries.

This roundtable comes amid alarming reports that the Trump Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to slash NOAA's workforce by 50 percent and cut its budget by 30 percent. Last Thursday, reports emerged that NOAA began to terminate hundreds of workers, approximately 10 percent of its workforce. Reckless cuts could gut vital research that fisheries depend on, delay seafood export certifications, jeopardize weather forecasting, and cripple conservation efforts. Leaders gathered to discuss the impact of cuts to NOAA on Rhode Island and how they're responding.