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yesterday

Congress Probes NWS Staffing and NOAA Lab Closures After Texas Flood Warnings

Lawmakers and former officials argue vacant coordination roles hindered last-mile alerts despite NOAA’s insistence that all emergency notifications were timely.

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Flood waters left debris including vehicles and equipment scattered in Louise Hays Park on July 5, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 30, 2025.

Overview

  • NOAA and NWS maintain they issued flood watches with over 12 hours of lead time and flash flood warnings promptly and had full meteorologist staffing at San Angelo and San Antonio forecast offices during the July 4–5 floods.
  • Former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad and NWS union director Tom Fahy highlight that the Austin/San Antonio office lacked a warning coordination meteorologist, which they say may have disrupted alert delivery to local emergency managers.
  • Representative Eric Swalwell and Senator Chuck Schumer have requested the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general to investigate whether Department of Government Efficiency–driven staff cuts delayed and degraded flood warnings.
  • The Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal would slash NOAA’s funding by $2 billion, dismantle its research arm and close over two dozen federally funded meteorology laboratories.
  • Bipartisan opposition is mounting, with Rep. Tom Cole and state emergency officials warning that shutting key facilities like the National Severe Storms Laboratory would undermine storm-warning innovation and local economies.