Trump’s plan to cut ocean monitoring sparks warnings over maritime safety and weather forecasting

resident Donald Trump’s administration is facing mounting criticism from scientists, maritime professionals, and lawmakers after a leaked budget memo revealed plans to eliminate all federal funding for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) — a critical ocean monitoring network vital to navigation safety, hurricane tracking, and coastal forecasting. 

The proposed cut, part of a broader $2.5 billion reduction to the Department of Commerce for the 2026 fiscal year, would zero out the IOOS’s $43.5 million annual budget, effectively dismantling a nationwide system that has taken over two decades to build.

The IOOS includes 11 regional associations covering U.S. coastal waters, the Great Lakes, Caribbean, and Pacific territories. It operates a network of buoys, radar systems, and autonomous underwater vehicles to collect real-time data on wave conditions, currents, sea level, and water quality.

“It’s the last thing you should be shutting down,” said Captain Ed Enos, a harbor pilot in Hawaii. “There’s no money wasted. Right at a time when we should be getting more money to do more work to benefit the public, they want to turn things off.”

The funding threat comes despite bipartisan support for expanding IOOS. A Republican-led bill in the House Natural Resources Committee calls for increasing IOOS funding to $56 million annually from 2026 through 2030, underscoring internal divisions within the GOP over science and environmental priorities.

Experts warn that eliminating IOOS could leave dangerous blind spots in navigation safety, tsunami and hurricane early warning systems, and climate research. “Without those measures, we frankly won’t know what’s coming at us. It’s like turning off the headlights,” said Jack Barth, an oceanographer at Oregon State University.

The IOOS cut aligns with broader reductions targeting scientific agencies. Earlier this year, a separate memo outlined plans to cut NOAA’s budget by 27%, including a 74% reduction to its Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Reports also indicate that approximately 700 NOAA employees have been dismissed in recent months.

Observers say these moves echo elements of Project 2025, a conservative policy roadmap that describes NOAA as a “main driver of the climate change alarm industry.”

The global scientific community is also expressing concern. “This organization supports globally relevant data services and research that underpin almost all aspects of present ocean and Antarctic science,” said Craig Stevens, a marine scientist at the University of Auckland.

NOAA officials have declined to comment, stating that they do not conduct “speculative interviews.” However, scientists and maritime workers dependent on IOOS continue to warn that cutting the system would jeopardize public safety, disrupt weather forecasting, and undermine essential research efforts.

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