Two U.S. senators are demanding answers as to why the Trump administration is withholding USD 246 million (EUR 210 million) in Congressionally-approved funding from NOAA.
According to U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-California) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), a fiscal year 2025 spend plan issued by the Trump administration in August is hundreds of millions of dollars lower than what Congress had appropriated. U.S. President Donald Trump announced nearly USD 5 billion (EUR 4.3 billion) in rescinded funding in August, declaring that his administration “is committed to getting America’s fiscal house in order by cutting government spending that is woke, weaponized, and wasteful.”
Opponents have criticized the tactic, arguing that it undermines Congress’ constitutional authority to set government spending.
“This move by the Trump Administration sets a deeply concerning precedent. Funds for these and other projects were appropriated by Congress as part of the FY2025 continuing resolution. As Congress holds the power of the purse, any effort by an Administration to not spend appropriated funds should require Congressional approval. However, the Administration has decided unilaterally at the end of the fiscal year to simply not spend unobligated funds, using a controversial tactic known as ‘pocket recissions,’” the Coastal States Organizations said in a release last month.
The so-called “pocket recissions” were released with only a month left in the fiscal year, leaving Congress little recourse.
In response to that finding, Schiff and Van Hollen issued a letter to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick demanding answers as to why the appropriated money is not being spent as directed by Congress.
“Given this last-minute withholding of funding, we request information on why funding for NOAA is not being allocated and spent as congressionally directed,” the senators wrote.
NOAA Fisheries was impacted by the unexpected cuts, receiving roughly USD 80 million (EUR 68 million) less than approved by lawmakers. The department had proposed to use some of that funding to make repairs and upgrades to NOAA research vessel Henry B. Bigelow.
“The agency helps support a USD 183 billion (EUR 156 million) seafood industry and manages fisheries to ensure sustainable and safe seafood for future generations,” the senators claimed in their letter. “These cuts impact research labs, competitive research grants, cooperative institutes, and fisheries management programs. For example, the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund was eliminated, the Coastal Zone Management program was cut by USD 1.5 million (EUR 1.3 million), the National Estuarine Research Reserve System was cut by USD 4 million (EUR 3.4 million), the National Sea Grant and Aquaculture programs were cut by a combined USD 8.73 million (EUR 7.45 million), and climate research was cut by more than USD 58 million (EUR 49.5 million).”
The senators also criticized cuts to the Sea Grant program, which has already been the subject of political wrangling during Trump's second term.
“Cuts to the National Sea Grant program mean that fishermen in Gulf states will lose the fishery management support that Sea Grant provides for commercially and recreationally important reef fish species like snapper, communities in the Great Lakes will no longer benefit from Sea Grant’s support to address aquatic invasive species or prepare for coastal storms, and shellfish growers in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond will lose critical resources to support their small aquaculture businesses,” they said.
The Trump administration has not been shy in its efforts to shrink NOAA during the president’s second term. The White House laid off hundreds of NOAA employees in February, rescinded any unspent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds for Pacific salmon restoration, and has called for massive cuts to NOAA Fisheries’ budget.
Former NOAA Budget Director John Potts told Bloomberg Government the decision to withhold some funds is likely related to the Trump administration’s efforts to cut grant funding and reduce staffing levels earlier in the year.
“Overall, this seems to reflect a scooping up of funding at the end of the year likely not obligated yet due to all the staffing reductions and freezes and slow rolling of NOAA acquisition and grant approvals,” Potts said.
