The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NOAA FUNDING” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2072 on March 15, 2017.
The Department includes the Census Bureau, which is used to determine many factors about American life. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department is involved in misguided foreign trade policies and is home to many unneeded programs.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOAA FUNDING
(Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the mission of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, now under attack by the Trump administration.
An assault on NOAA, Mr. Speaker, is an assault on science. NOAA is a data-driven organization with proven research in the public interest. NOAA defends our coasts from the surges we have seen from Sandy, Irene, and other storms. NOAA's satellites keep watch day and night, providing up-to-the-second data to farmers, forecasters, and fishermen.
Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the Trump administration's denial of climate damage, but I do not understand it. Defunding NOAA, as the President's budget purportedly does, does not make our climate problems simply go away. The mission of NOAA isn't just about our environment. American businesses rely on its data every day to give them an economic advantage. After all, there is a reason NOAA is in the Department of Commerce to begin with.
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