The Trump administration, which has expressed strong scepticism about climate change, aims to significantly reduce research funding for a key government agency involved in global climate science, as reported by the U.S. media on Friday. According to an internal White House document reviewed by CNN and Science magazine, the administration plans to request Congress, responsible for setting federal agency budgets, to cut financial support for research labs and offices focused on climate studies within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House Science Committee, criticised Trump’s budget proposal for NOAA, calling it “both outrageous and dangerous.” She warned in a statement that the administration is “wholly destroying” vital services.

The Trump administration proposes slashing around 75 per cent of the funding for NOAA’s research division in the 2026 budget, a drastic reduction that could begin as early as this year. According to Science, the plan also includes cutting the jobs of hundreds of federal and academic scientists who focus on human-caused global warming.

These cuts would be in addition to eliminating at least 1,000 NOAA positions last month as part of a significant downsizing led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Scientists warn that these additional cuts could have serious consequences, given NOAA’s essential role in weather forecasting, climate research, and fisheries conservation in the U.S. and globally.

Scientists warn that ending NOAA's research programs could have serious consequences, as researchers and labs worldwide depend on its data and mathematical models. Such a move could also harm the U.S. economy, mainly since sectors like agriculture and fishing rely heavily on NOAA's weather forecasts and data.

“This administration’s hostility towards research and rejection of climate science will have the consequence of eviscerating the weather forecasting capabilities that this plan claims to preserve,” Lofgren noted. “What NOAA does is crucial to the life-saving weather research and services that it provides to the American people.”

Some conservatives view NOAA as a primary promoter of what they refer to as "climate alarmism." The Trump administration has been actively targeting government climate-related programs, including ordering considerable layoffs and removing websites that provide data on weather and climate. Additionally, reports suggest that the White House is seeking to cut the budget for a NASA division responsible for using satellites to study and track the impacts of climate change.