3 days ago
The domino effect of Trump's NASA climate cuts
President Donald Trump wants to decimate NASA's climate research capacity. That could ultimately disrupt multiple sectors of the economy, writes Scott Waldman.
In the White House budget documents released last week, Trump proposed slashing a quarter of NASA's funding, specifically targeting the agency's research on climate change. But many of NASA's instruments that track human-caused climate change provide other critical data.
The agriculture industry, for example, relies on satellites and instruments that not only track climate change but also keep tabs on shifts in climatic zones that affect plant growth. Trump wants to eliminate funding that keeps those tools operational.
Trump has proposed axing NASA's Surface Geology and Biology mission, which monitors methane and carbon pollution but also hunts for and identifies deposits of critical minerals. Also endangered is NASA's Landsat satellite program, which provides key data on water levels and distribution as well as the ways global warming is altering Earth.
'Whether you believe in climate change or human-induced impacts on climate or not, these are atmospheric gases that have an impact on the composition of the Earth,' Richard Eckman, a veteran of NASA's Earth Science Division, told Scott.
'It's very depressing to me to think that we're writing off the future of NASA Earth Observing missions from space,' he said.
Eckman also questioned the proposal to cut fully functioning satellites already in orbit. Such probes typically cost billions of dollars to build but comparatively little money to maintain once they've launched.
A White House budget proposal often undergoes drastic revisions, with Congress using it as a starting point for its annual spending bills.
But congressional Republicans have so far shown little willingness to deviate from Trump's vision — and if they do, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has said his office may withhold the funding it wants to cut anyway. That would likely add another legal fight to a growing list as the Trump administration repeatedly challenges Congress' power of the purse.
It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@
Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down where the Senate stands on rolling back Biden-era clean energy tax credits in Trump's spending bill.
Power Centers
How Trump's megabill hits clean powerThe Senate is starting to weigh changes to the House megabill that passed last month with billions of dollars' worth of tax credits for low-carbon energy hanging in the balance, writes Christa Marshall.
A critical group of moderate Republicans says the Senate should reconsider the House's rapid phasedown of tax credits for wind, solar and battery manufacturing, among other clean energy sources. But GOP leaders are facing pressure from fiscal hawks to make deeper spending cuts.
More sanctions for RussiaEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is prepared to work with the United States to impose sanctions on Russia to pressure President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine, write Gordon Repinski, Nette Nöstlinger and Koen Verhelst.
The EU is planning its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, and von der Leyen said: 'We are primarily concerned with sanctioning Russian energy and drying up Russia's sources of finance.'
In Other News
Coastal town turmoil: How oil giants are ruining a small 'slice of heaven' town in Texas.
Saline overload: A salt crisis is looming for U.S. rivers.
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The parent of Facebook and Instagram announced it signed a 20-year agreement to buy power from a Constellation Energy nuclear plant in Illinois to help run the technology giant's data centers.
House Republican appropriators have proposed deep cuts to many agriculture programs, seeking to slash the Agriculture Department's 'climate hubs' while also targeting resilience for natural disasters in military and veterans funding.
Trump's decision to double steel import tariffs to 50 percent is a misguided blow to America's allies, the EU's chief trade negotiator said Wednesday.
That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
