WAKEFIELD, Va. (WVEC) -- Massive cuts to the National Weather Service are not included in the spending plan Congress is debating.
“The Weather Service already is bare-boned,” NWS Employees Organization President Dan Sobien said. “It’s just barely getting along and any more cuts would have just been the straw that broke the camel’s back. So, I think that’s very good news.”
Employees are thankful for the Congressional plan, which rejects the Trump job cuts, including the forecast office IT officers, some employees at the Climate Prediction Center and some at the two tsunami warning centers.
“It should bring a sense of hope that all is not lost and the National Weather Service is going to be there for years to come,” Sobien said. “For the citizens, it should bring a calming feeling. We’re like a firehouse. You never know when you’re going to need us and you certainly want us to be there when you do need us. We will be now.”
The bipartisan FY 18 budget plan is about $99 million more than what the President requested.
It also appropriates money for facility repairs and deferred maintenance, along with a new hurricane reconnaissance aircraft.
Weather Service advocates pointed out the Explanatory Statement that goes along with the appropriations act. It referenced stories like the 13News Now investigations into issues at the National Weather Service.
It read “continuous reports of management and staffing challenges across the NWS are unacceptable."
“People that saw interviews like yours contacted their congress-persons,” Sobien said. “I think that made the difference.”
13News Now was first to report on the hundreds of forecaster positions on the chopping block in President Trump’s FY 19 budget proposal. That plan still needs to be addressed in Congress.
Meteorologists said the Trump 2019 budget plan to cut almost 250 forecaster jobs at the National Weather Service is “a dangerous move.” They believe it is dangerous for the country and for citizens in Hampton Roads.
A proposal that was leaked to us a year ago included decreased hours at certain local offices and possible coverage here by meteorologists hundreds of miles away. Some of that will still be on the table when Congress takes up the FY 19 proposal.
13News Now been investigating cuts to the National Weather Service for over a year now.
First Investigation: 13News Now Investigates: Changes under the radar
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13News Now App.