Trump Proposes Shocking Cuts to NOAA Budget

Donald Trump demonstrates once again that his administration does not have much love (care or concern) for our ocean and the many coastal communities and economies that depend on what is one of our nation’s greatest natural resources.

The budget proposal released by the Trump administration proposes cutting the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by more than a billion dollars. It ignores how deeply we all rely on this agency to help our coastal communities and our ocean thriving.

Here are the four biggest threats to NOAA’s ocean efforts in President Trump’s proposal:

THREAT 1: Wipe out programs that fund innovation in coastal economies.

President Trump wants to zero out funding for the Sea Grant program. This would stop economic growth in its tracks for many coastal communities. EDITOR'S NOTE: this would include the successful Sea Grant program at URI that has directly assisted Charlestown. - W. Collette

This successful program is a vital resource for many business and industry innovators like the thriving sponge business in Florida. And there are dozens more stories like that from around the country.

Eliminating this budget would completely axe the Coastal Management Grants, which empowers coastal states to ensure communities are safe from ocean and weather hazards and coastal economies are thriving. This is a one-two punch in the gut for coastal economies, many of whom rely on NOAA as a trusted partner.

THREAT 2: Undercut preparedness and resilience.