Entire FL-Dem congressional delegation warns Trump to avoid cuts to hurricane forecasting (Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix, March 7, 20250

I agree with our Florida Democratic Congressional delegation. Stronger storms developing rapidly due to glob al climate change.  We need better data, not less of it.  What do y'all reckon?  From Florida Phoenix:

Entire FL-Dem congressional delegation warns Trump to avoid cuts to hurricane forecasting

BY: MITCH PERRY - MARCH 7, 2025 1:07 PM

 This National Weather Service map shows surface wind speed projections for Hurricane Isaias as of 8 a.m. E.T. on Aug. 1, 2020.

All eight members of Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation are calling on the Trump administration to reconsider its announced workforce reductions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS), saying that they pose “an immediate and severe threat to hurricane preparedness and response in Florida and across the nation.”

The layoffs, part of its DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative, have affected 880 NOAA employees, according to CBS News.

“Investments in weather forecasting and emergency preparedness are essential to our national security and economic stability, and we strongly oppose any actions that weaken our ability to protect lives and property from natural disasters,” reads the letter addressed to Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management & Budget.

“These cuts are not just numbers on a balance sheet—they directly impact public safety, emergency preparedness, and our ability to protect the people of Florida,” the letter continues. “Reducing NOAA’s capacity to track and forecast severe weather events will leave our state more vulnerable to extreme weather, potentially increasing the cost of disaster response and recovery while putting lives at greater risk.”

The missive is signed by the Democratic U.S. Representatives from Florida —Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto, Frederica Wilson, Lois Frankel, Maxwell Frost, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. In their statement, the Florida Democrats note that “[n]o Florida Republican House member signed on to the warning letter.”

The lawmakers said that the reduction of NOAA’s workforce raises serious concerns about the agency’s ability to provide reliable forecasts as hurricane season beckons in a few months.

“Slashing the workforces at NWS and NOAA cripples their ability to warn and protect the public, endangering millions of Americans—especially those in coastal and storm-prone regions like the Tampa Bay area,” said Tampa Bay area Rep. Kathy Castor in a written statement. “These cuts are not just irresponsible; they are deathly dangerous and will leave us vulnerable to hurricanes and other disasters.”

“Investments in NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) are an investment in emergency response,” added Congressman Moskowitz. “I saw it firsthand as Florida’s Emergency Management Director, when my team and I relied on these agencies to prepare for and respond to disasters across our state. With hurricane season right around the corner and officials, organizations, and families looking to these agencies to stay safe, these workforce cuts threaten to handicap emergency response.”

MITCH PERRY

Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.