Dear John,
Under Donald Trump, critical cuts slashed staffing at the National Weather Service. Lifesaving alerts were delayed. Forecast accuracy dropped. Now he’s laying the groundwork to privatize the entire system.
That’s right, Trump appointees with deep ties to private weather corporations pushed plans that would charge you for access to the same alerts we all rely on today. Their goal is to hand control of our forecasts, emergency alerts, and climate data over to the highest bidder.
During his first term, Trump’s allies already tested these waters by sidelining scientists and manipulating storm data to fit political narratives. These attacks weakened public trust in forecasts and set the stage for the corporate takeover they are now openly pursuing.
They plan to dismantle NOAA and fully commercialize our federal weather services. Trump’s cronies are all in. If we don’t act, we could wake up in a country where hurricane warnings cost money.
Tell Congress to block Trump’s dangerous plan to privatize the National Weather Service and protect lifesaving forecasts for everyone now.
We need faster alerts, stronger science, and expanded access to data, not a greedy scheme to put profit over public safety. Climate disasters are hitting harder and more frequently than ever, just ask Texans who survived this year’s record floods.
Privatizing the National Weather Service would be a death sentence for the vulnerable. When every second counts, delaying alerts behind a paywall puts entire communities at risk.
History shows what happens when public safety is treated as a commodity. Wealthier areas get protection while rural and low-income communities are left dangerously exposed. That is exactly the two-tiered system Trump’s plan would lock into place, and once the damage is done there will be no going back.
Even private weather companies like AccuWeather have said this goes too far. But Trump’s allies don’t care. They want to rewrite the rules to serve their donors and their stock portfolios, and they’ll succeed if we stay silent.
Demand Congress act now to block Trump’s privatization plan and keep lifesaving forecasts public and free.
Together, we can stop this sellout and protect public safety.
- DFA AF Team
