Senate Moves to Strengthen NOAA Forecasting With $2.9 Billion Proposal
The Senate has approved the bill as NOAA continues to contend with the fallout from DOGE-era staffing and program cuts.
The Senate has unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to bolster the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) forecasting and warning systems, with a proposed $2.9 billion investment over the next five years. The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 aims to modernize NOAA's programs, protect critical forecasting positions, and enhance weather radar and research capabilities for various weather-related threats such as floods, wildfires, atmospheric rivers, droughts, extreme heat, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
The bill's passage comes as the nation faces increasingly dangerous weather disasters, with recent extreme events including Hurricane Helene in 2024, Central Texas floods in July 2025, and several atmospheric river events causing billions in damage. Senators Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz, who led the bipartisan effort, emphasized the importance of the legislation in protecting lives and property, particularly in light of the growing risks posed by a strengthening El Niño expected to bring stormier and wetter conditions to California and the Southwest this winter.
Brief written by urgent.news from Newsweek's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
