The House has voted to advance a budget bill that would maintain funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) until September 2026.
NOAA provides essential services in support of people and our planet – from tracking weather and climate, to managing ocean health and fisheries, to supporting emergency first responders.
Without federal policymakers providing strong funding for NOAA during the annual appropriations process, there is a risk these essential services could lapse.
Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy’s vice president for external affairs, said: “For months, people across the country have spoken out against proposals to cut NOAA’s funding, and Congress has listened. NOAA delivers services and science that touch each and every one of us, providing immense benefits to our communities and our country. Put simply, we could not function without it.
“We can’t look at NOAA as a series of budgetary line items. It’s a cohesive whole taking care of our ocean, coastal and marine resources, and weather and climate modeling systems. Now, it’s time for the Senate to stand up for NOAA and pass this bill with NOAA’s funding intact. But this bill only gets us to September, and so it’s essential that this recognition of NOAA’s importance continues into the next round of appropriations.”
Meredith Moore, director of Ocean Conservancy’s fish conservation programme, submitted: “Some of the biggest proposed cuts to NOAA were to NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries ensures that U.S. fisheries are healthy and well-managed for the benefit of all Americans. Maintaining NOAA’s budget will help ensure that fishing communities and families can continue to enjoy healthy, sustainably caught fish.
“Without NOAA, we will lose the foundational science and management to keep seafood on Americans’ dinner plates and protect a cornerstone of many local coastal economies – from Maine and Florida to Alaska and California.”