House Democrats from the Science and Space Technology Committee urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss staffing issues at the National Weather Service (NWS) in a letter sent on Wednesday.
The letter stated, “We plan to request your testimony before the National Weather Service regarding staffing shortages.” It emphasized the critical role of the NWS, not only as a provider of daily weather information but also in forecasting severe weather events and communicating those forecasts to the public in order to protect lives and livelihoods.
Signed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif) and other key members of the committee, the letter comes in the wake of the tragic floods in Texas that have raised concerns about the staffing and funding cuts made during the Trump administration affecting American weather and climate research.
Recently, flash floods driven by the Guadalupe River in central Texas resulted in multiple fatalities, prompting further scrutiny of the preparedness of federal agencies like the NWS in light of these cuts.
Democrats pointed out that the NWS is only as effective as its personnel, criticizing the Department of Commerce under Lutnick for decisions that they believe have led to a crisis within the NWS, including staff resignations and early retirements.
“The dangers of this situation are starkly highlighted by the devastating flood that hit central Texas on July 4th,” they noted.
Inquiry was made to the Commerce Department for a response regarding the matter.
