Both of Maine’s senators are worried about proposed “dangerous cuts” to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget that they fear would harm coastal states in particular.
The federal Office of Management and Budget notified a U.S. Senate committee that President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slice the agency funding by as much as 17 percent, according to a letter signed by, among others, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King.
“We are particularly concerned that the proposed cuts will fall disproportionately on programs of importance to the U.S. military and coastal state economies,” the letter to the OMB’s director said.
“We respectfully urge you to reconsider these harmful proposed cuts before the administration releases its formal budget request,” the senators wrote.
Collins, a Republican, and U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, led the the push for officials to reconsider the possible cuts.
Their letter, which King, an independent, also signed, said the proposal “would sharply reduce research funding and satellite programs at NOAA and eliminate funding for a variety of smaller programs, including external research, coastal management, estuary reserves and coastal resilience.”
They said the agency, best known for its weather satellites, “plays a vital role in advancing our understanding and stewardship of America’s oceans.”
In their letter, the senators said that cuts to monitoring equipment and activities “will directly increase coastal states’ vulnerability to hurricanes and other natural events that can threaten our communities.”
“Our safety rests on NOAA’s ability to collect information, generate forecasts and issue warnings well in advance so that we can take action,” they said.
In addition, “through its many programs and offices, NOAA provides crucial research and support for our commercial fisheries as well as marine life conservation programs,” the senators wrote. “Annual stock assessments and monitoring programs help to maintain sustainable practices and ensure long-term production of seafood in the U.S.”
They said that Trump’s budget overseer “faces difficult choices as it prioritizes federal resources. However, the president has identified national security and job creation as two of his key priorities, and pursuing drastic cuts to NOAA would increase vulnerability to atmospheric, environmental and coastal hazards, and decrease support for job creation, running directly counter to those goals.”
Other signers of the letter were U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Alaska Republicans, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
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