Overview
- The White House announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in December and internal documents filed in court show officials discussed separating weather work from climate science to eliminate the climate research line.
- An alliance of 129 universities that co-manages NCAR has sued to block parts of the dismantling and the litigation has so far prevented the administration from carrying out the break-up.
- Federal budget actions froze or delayed grants for major programs including NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory, producing a funding freeze from February through mid-April that briefly threatened layoffs before some funds were released.
- Researchers report cancelled projects, hiring freezes, early retirements and lost graduate recruitment in Boulder, and they say the resulting loss of expertise and morale has already weakened operational capacity.
- University and lab leaders warn the moves risk a long-term brain drain and erosion of U.S. scientific competitiveness as other countries increase climate and atmospheric research investment.