Sen. Maria Cantwell urges Trump to invest in modernized weather forecast system: "The money will save you money"

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: July 21, 2025 / 6:06 PM EDT


Sen. Maria Cantwell is urging President Trump to prioritize modernizing the nation's weather forecasting system, saying the investment will save lives as well as money down the road. She released a letter to the president Monday, following through on her pledge to provide guidance that the administration can use to upgrade weather forecasting infrastructure.

"The money will save you money, for sure," Cantwell said in an interview on CBS News Monday. "The kind of investments you could make here are about taking a $20 billion [disaster] event and saying, if we would have done these things in advance, it wouldn't have cost us that much money. If storms are costing us this much, we have to come up with better solutions."

The Democratic congresswoman, a prominent voice in environmental policy on Capitol Hill and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees weather and disasters. Cantwell penned the letter in the wake of disastrous flooding that killed at least 135 people in Central Texas. The July 4 flash flood prompted a massive search and recovery operations and raised questions about whether forecasts and warnings could have been more effective ahead of time.

Cantwell's letter outlined five bipartisan recommendations to improve U.S. forecasting. It comes as the Trump administration continues to make cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency focused on weather and climate, and the National Weather Service, its subagency in charge of daily forecasts.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maria-cantwell-trump-letter-weather-forecast-system-money-savings/

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Link to Senator Cantwell PRESS RELEASE - In Letter to Trump, Cantwell Unveils 5-Point Plan to Improve Nation’s Weather Readiness in the Face of NOAA Cuts

Link to LETTER (PDF) - https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/5529EF50-E590-4AB6-8C73-9D9C1A05B1CE

[Irish_Dem]

1. Trump has no interest in saving money.

He is spending money like a drunken sailor.

His goal is punishment and control of the American people.

[Onthefly]

2. Ruining our country like his Trump Corporation--Copulation

Screwing us for his personal self gratification and power.

[lark]

3. Hell no krasnov will not spend one dime on anything except that which props up the rich reich wing asses like himself.

He is first and rest of rich are 2nd and we don't count at all to him except as jail fodder. He hates America and it's ideala and loves Russia and Nazi Germany.

[travelingthrulife]

4. We HAD a modernized weather forecast system. Trump blew it to pieces.

[Cheezoholic]

5. Absolutely, the most advanced and the envy I might add, in the world. Over 100 billion over 50 years just flushed

Is that simple action waste? abuse? fraud? How about ALL OF THEM!!!!!