Congress moves to restore weather forecasting after NOAA cuts
H.R. 5002 — Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act · Filed by Joe Neguse (D-CO) · 12 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 19, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the Department of Commerce to fully staff NOAA and the National Weather Service, reinstate employees laid off since January 20, 2025, and restore three discontinued data products (Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, Marine Environmental Buoy Database, Global Ocean Currents Database). It appropriates $6.76 billion to NOAA for fiscal year 2026 to support extreme weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, and climate monitoring.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is restoring federal capacity for weather forecasting and disaster preparedness through staffing and data product reinstatement, funded by a direct appropriation to NOAA.
What the text implies
- The bill implicitly responds to recent NOAA staffing cuts and program eliminations (referenced as occurring between January 20, 2025 and enactment), suggesting it is a direct legislative counter to executive-branch reductions in climate and weather science capacity.
- Reinstatement of the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product restores public transparency on the economic cost of climate events, data that had been removed from public access.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens depend on NOAA for weather forecasts, hurricane warnings, and disaster alerts that directly protect lives and property. Restoring staffing and data products strengthens public safety infrastructure and access to critical environmental information that affects emergency preparedness and disaster response.