Trump's pick to lead NOAA pledges to restaff weather service

President Trump’s nominee to lead the government’s weather forecasting agency pledged on Wednesday to rebuild staffing there after the current administration has faced criticism for overseeing significant personnel cuts. 

Staffing at the National Weather Service will be a top priority for Neil Jacobs if the Senate confirms him to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nominee told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. NWS, which has shed hundreds of employees since Trump took office through firings and separation incentives, has come under scrutiny after flooding in Central Texas this month led to the death of more than 100 people. 

“If confirmed, I will ensure that staffing the Weather Service offices is a top priority,” said Jacobs, who led NOAA on an acting basis in Trump’s first term. “It’s really important for the people to be there because they have relationships with people in the local community. They’re a trusted source.” 

He added he would not support any consolidation of NWS forecasters and would instead “love for people to be more embedded in the community.” 

“I can assure the committee that I will do my best to ensure that this team of scientists, engineers, forecasters and uniformed personnel will have the resources and leadership needed to fulfill their mission of science, service and stewardship,” Jacobs said. 

NOAA has so far lost 1,875 under Trump, according to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and currently has 3,000 vacancies. Klobuchar asked how Jacobs would be able to recruit staff when the message from the administration has been “please leave.” Jacobs highlighted that NOAA and the Commerce Department have been working to relocate employees to locations with critical shortages and some positions within the agency, including meteorologists, have recently been exempted from the governmentwide hiring freeze. For remaining positions, however, Trump has extended the moratorium until at least mid-October. 

“I can appeal to their sense of mission,” Jacobs said of his upcoming recruiting efforts. “This is important, ensuring that Americans have timely and accurate forecasts to protect lives and property.” 

He acknowledged the restaffing would not be a “quick process,” but said NWS would be able to utilize direct hire authority to expedite it. The administrator-designate received bipartisan support for those efforts, including from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who said he wanted to help speed along the effort. 

The agency’s staffing levels have been in the spotlight due to the recent floods. While NOAA sent a wide range of warnings and alerts prior to the storms that caused the deadly floods in Texas, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Commerce Department’s inspector general to launch an investigation into the impacts the staffing cuts had on the crisis in Texas. That request is currently under review by the IG’s oversight teams, a spokesperson said. 

Asked whether he supports President Trump’s proposal to cut NOAA’s budget by 27% in fiscal 2026, Jacobs confirmed that he did and suggested funding was being refocused from research to operations. The “mission-essential functions” of the National Weather Service and the National Ocean Service would continue, he said. 

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said he disagreed. 

“A 27% cut is gonna have an impact because there’s a definite ripple effect that occurs when that sort of funding is slashed,” Markey said. “Weather readiness without funding is a hallucination.” 

Jacobs highlighted his previous experience running the agency and said that expertise would guide him in his second go round. He told lawmakers he did not believe NOAA’s weather forecasting efforts should be privatized, as discussed in Project 2025. 

Jacobs previous service at NOAA included when Trump’s false claims about the path of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 led to the scandal known as “Sharpiegate.” Jacobs eventually told lawmakers and the Commerce inspector general that a statement seeking to back up Trump's claims was drafted by top Commerce and White House officials.

Jacobs told lawmakers on Wednesday there were “probably some things I would do differently” in that situation, adding he would, going forward, not push out false information if he faced political pressure to do so. 

Jacobs also pledged to examine staffing needs in other areas of NOAA. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., noted the agency is severely understaffed in its enforcement of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and some ships from NOAA’s research fleet will remain docked this year due to staffing issues. Jacobs pledged to look into the matter and acknowledged staffing has been difficult both with the hiring freeze and due to competition from the private sector.