Begging for money for the NWS on Capitol Hill

This morning I met with the Chief of Staff to Senator Barbara Mikulksi, the Chair of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, as well as with the subcommittee's Staff Director and the committee staff member who handles the NOAA budget. I came on behalf of NWSEO to explain our serious concern about the cuts which Congress made to the President's funding request for the NWS in the Omnibus Appropriations bill passed and signed into law just before Christmas. Specifically, the line item for "Local Warnings and Forecasts" - which funds most of NWS's employees salaries - was reduced by $12 million below the amount that was requested by the President (although the amount that was appropriated was still $35 million more than fiscal year 2007.) At the same time, Congress added millions of dollars of extra "earmarks" to fund other weather related projects. Some of these earmarks have dubious value - such as $200,000 to use NWS radar to study bird migration in Vermont, and $ 4.4 million in grants to universities to study weather.

I explained to these senior staffers that the reductions made by Congress were the equivalent of the salaries and benefits of 123 forecasters, or the entire amount that the NWS spends on training each year. I told them that the NWS attempts to cover the ongoing funding shortfall by a rolling hiring freeze - known as "lapsed labor" - which keeps vacancies open longer than they should be. (The vacancy rate at NWS headquarters is now about 8%).

I also explained that the President has failed to request enough money for the NWS in the first place - and I showed them documentation that demonstrates that the NWS needs $30 million above the amount requested by the President for full funding for "Local Warnings and Forecasts."

I was assured that Senator Mikulksi cares deeply about the health of the NWS and about NWS employees' jobs. (In fact, just about 18% of all NWS employees work in Maryland, her state.) They explained that President Bush's threat to veto the Commerce and other appropriations bills made it necessary to drastically cut virtually every other agency - such as the National Science Foundation (a $400 million cut), AF&T, NASA, and millions in funding for local police forces. They pointed out that the Federal government's budget woes are largely the result of cost of the Iraq War.

They also explained that Senator Mikulski substantially increased funding for the new building that will be the home of NCEP so that our members can move out of the substandard facilities where they now work.

We agreed to remain in contact and to work with NWSEO on these and other issues throughout the coming year. But I think we have tough times ahead because it is an election year and no one expects that the Congress and the President will cooperate with each other very well. And next year might be far worse, when whomever gets elected President has to start dealing with the budget deficit caused by the Bush Administration's tax cuts and war in Iraq.

Stay tuned.