Latest news with #Sharpiegate
3 days ago
- Politics
Senate considers Neil Jacobs, 'Sharpiegate' scientist, as NOAA administrator
Neil Jacobs, the atmospheric scientist nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has vowed to place science, human safety and technological innovation at the forefront of operations if confirmed as the agency's administrator. On Wednesday, U.S. senators interviewed Jacobs on how he would run NOAA, the federal agency that manages the National Weather Service, the nation's primary source for weather forecasts and data, and is responsible for monitoring and managing coastal and marine resources. "NOAA has an important, unique mission that spans the sea floor to the Sun's surface," Jacobs said. "Not only do they conduct cutting-edge coastal and ocean research, but they also provide life-saving forecast predictions in a wide range of environmental phenomena." Jacobs said he has a "very detailed understanding" of what is needed to manage NOAA, from the policy, budget and personnel sides as well as opportunities for innovative solutions. "If confirmed, it would be a tremendous honor to lead such a distinguished organization," Jacobs said. "I can assure the committee that I will do my best to ensure this team of scientists, engineers, forecasters and uniformed officers have the resources and leadership needed to fulfill their mission of science, service and stewardship." Taylor Jordan, the nominee for assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction, and Harris Kumar, nominee for assistant secretary of commerce for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, also appeared in the confirmation hearing, If confirmed, Jacobs would lead NOAA during a tumultuous time at the agency. Since his nomination in February, NOAA and the NWS have lost hundreds of staffers, research funding and experienced weather data collection disruptions due to cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "I support the president's budget," Jacobs said, when asked whether he supports cuts throughout the agency. If confirmed, this would be Jacobs' second stint leading NOAA. He served as acting administrator from 2019 until Trump left office at the end of his term in January 2021. He is remembered for the so-called "Sharpiegate" incident that took place during a press briefing from the Oval Office in September 2019. A map of the storm track of Hurricane Dorian appeared to have been altered with a black pen to include southern Alabama, even though the official storm track by the NWS did not have the storm hitting the state. Trump had also inaccurately declared a few days earlier that the storm would strike the region. Shortly after, NOAA issued a statement that sided with Trump and admonished the NWS for publicly saying that Alabama was not in danger from the storm. Dorian ultimately stayed east of Florida and did not make landfall in the U.S. The NOAA Science Council subsequently investigated Jacobs, saying that he violated the organization's scientific integrity policy by issuing a statement supporting Trump's incorrect claim about Dorian's storm track as an official NOAA release. When asked by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, on Wednesday whether he would "make the same decision again," Jacobs replied, "There's probably some things I would do differently." At the time of his nomination, Jacobs was the chief science adviser for the community Unified Forecast System (UFS), part of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research's (UCAR) Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science at North Carolina State University. Before serving as NOAA's acting director, Jacobs was the chief atmospheric scientist at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, where he directed the research and development of its aviation weather observing platforms and modeling programs. Jacobs was recognized as a 2025 Fellow of the American Meteorological Society earlier this year and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from the University of South Carolina and master's and doctoral degrees in atmospheric science from North Carolina State University. In a podcast interview in November 2024, Jacobs shared his views on the future of government agencies, like NOAA, and efforts by the GOP to repeal and eliminate various weather and climate initiatives within the agency. "The executive branch can't just come in and completely change something that's authorized in law," he said. Jacobs also said that "NOAA has all of these congressional mandates that are codified. Congress would have to rewrite a mountain of legislation to undo all that.'
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Live updates: Trump hosts African leaders; NOAA nominee faces senators
President Trump on Wednesday will host leaders from several African nations, looking to shore up relationships as the State Department has scaled back its presence on the continent. West African leaders will join Trump for a White House lunch to discuss areas of economic cooperation, security and democracy, according to the Liberian Embassy. Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau will be represented. Several of Trump's nominees will also face Senate panels on Wednesday for confirmation hearings. Among the most prominent is Neil Jacobs, nominated to be the next leader of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2019, during Trump's first term, he was involved in 'Sharpiegate,' backing up Trump's false assertions on the path of Hurricane Dorian. He'll face the Commerce, Science and Technology Committee. Over in the Foreign Affairs panel, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ex-partner of Trump's eldest son, will face a confirmation hearing to be ambassador to Greece. In the House, former President Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, is slated to sit for a closed-door interview with the Oversight Committee, which is investigating Biden's mental acuity while in office. Also in the news: Follow along all day for updates.
Axios
4 days ago
- Climate
- Axios
Trump's NOAA pick vows strong weather forecasting amid criticism
President Trump's pick to head NOAA — which includes the National Weather Service — will tell Congress on Wednesday that he wants to make the U.S. a weather forecasting leader. Why it matters: Neil Jacobs' nomination hearing arrives as critics wonder if NWS staffing reductions hampered performance in the deadly Texas flooding — and whether proposed budget cuts will hinder the very forecasting improvements he's vowing. Driving the news: "If confirmed, one of my top priorities is to return the United States to the world's leader in global weather forecast modeling capability," he plans to tell the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee tomorrow, per prepared testimony obtained by Axios. "As a matter of public safety, national security, and national pride, we will restore American technological superiority for this vital service for the country and our military serving around the world," it states. This requires new tech, "novel" approaches, and partnering with industry, it states. The big picture: NWS issued multiple flood warnings and watches well ahead of the storm. But it faces questions about other aspects of the tragedy. Miami-based meteorologist John Morales said on X the vacancies did not impact the warning process, but may have affected coordination. Friction point: Trump officials have defended NWS' performance. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in a statement to outlets including Axios called criticism of the NWS' action and funding cuts accusations "shameful and disgusting" and accused critics of seeking to politicize a disaster, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reports. State of play: The Trump administration is proposing deep cuts to NOAA's fiscal year budget and nixing some research areas altogether, and the recently signed budget law rescinds some FY '25 funding. The proposed cuts would thwart R&D into new forecasting technologies, including efforts to forecast flash floods, CNN reports. Catch up quick: Jacobs, a meteorologist, is up for the role he held in an acting capacity during Trump's first term. He has a background in computer modeling and could help bolster the agency's weather forecasting and AI capabilities. He would, however, come with some baggage, having been reprimanded by Commerce's Inspector General — along with others — for his role in the episode known as "Sharpiegate." What they're saying:"I worry about Dr. Jacobs' ability to be the leader the country needs, especially as climate change is supercharging extreme weather across the United States," said Carlos Martinez, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Bloomberg
28-04-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Weather Maps in 3D Could Help Explain Extreme Climate Patterns
Welcome to Weather Watch, our weekly newsletter on how the planet's ever wilder weather patterns are impacting the global economy. Got feedback and forecasts? Write us at weatherteam@ And sign up here if you're not on the list already. The weather map is a powerful tool, packing information across space and time into a snapshot that can include intense storms and raging fires. It can also be contentious — recall President Donald Trump's attempt to alter a projected hurricane track back in 2019, dubbed 'Sharpiegate.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NOAA braces for mass layoffs, fueling concerns about lifesaving weather services
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is preparing to lay off more than 1,000 workers as part of the Trump administration's mandate for agencies to prepare "reductions in force," according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The cuts are fueling concerns that NOAA's ability to deliver lifesaving services, such as weather forecasting, storm warnings, climate monitoring and fishery oversight, will be hampered. The concerns are especially acute as hurricane and disaster season looms. MORE: How job cuts at NOAA could impact weather forecasting NOAA was "already significantly understaffed, so this is devastating. This is beyond a s---show," Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Ca., the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in an interview with ABC News. "It means we're going to be less safe. It means there will be all sorts of collateral damage." A person familiar with staffing levels at NOAA told ABC News that the agency is already down about 2,000 people since January as a result of the first round of the Trump administration's cuts, the "Fork in the Road" offer and regular retirements. In January, this source said, staffing was at about 12,000 employees, which is described as average. With an additional 1,000 cuts looming, the agency would be down 25% since the start of the year. "There is no way to absorb cuts of this magnitude without cutting into these core missions," Huffman said. "This is not about efficiency and it's certainly not about waste, fraud and abuse. This is taking programs that people depend on to save lives and emasculating them." MORE: Yes, NOAA adjusts its historical weather data: Here's why NOAA's reduction in force plan is currently in the Department of Commerce and is due to be delivered to the Office of Management and Budget this week, sources familiar said. It's unclear when exactly the resulting cuts will be announced, but sources said it could be as early as Friday. "NOAA was required to submit their cut plan today, and they were asked to eliminate entire functions, not just individual personnel. The number of terminations is more than 1,000, and that is on top of the probationary folks who've already been let go," Huffman said. "Our ability to forecast flood conditions and tornadoes is reduced, and in a matter of days, it's going to be significantly reduced, as we head into fire season, which is almost all year round now in the West. "Our ability to forecast red flag weather conditions for wildfires is significantly reduced," he added. "Literally, the people that run these systems are being terminated. The people that run these offices where these programs do this critical work are being terminated." MORE: Trump nominates 'Sharpiegate' scientist to lead NOAA Between the already announced and looming cuts, plus the funding battle that could reduce the agency's budget, a source familiar said NOAA "could be at a breaking point," adding that amid all the talks of reducing costs, taxpayers only pay 6 cents per day for all of the services provided by the agency. "More importantly, the services provided by NOAA wouldn't be as robust or functional -- or maybe even exist at all," the source said. NOAA braces for mass layoffs, fueling concerns about lifesaving weather services originally appeared on
