00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Rhode Island, like many coastal states, faces compound
00:06risks from storm surge, sea level rise, coastal flooding, and the like. Improving
00:13our ability to predict these events requires way more integrated
00:17environmental data, including soil permeability, coastal topography, and
00:22regional sea level rise. And we need this, you know, data to fully understand and
00:29prepare for how extreme weather will affect coastal communities and
00:32infrastructure across the country. And so, you know, as we alluded to earlier, and I've
00:38heard in some of your remarks, President Trump's FY26 budget proposes eliminating
00:44NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, along with its climate, weather,
00:50and ocean laboratories, and 16 cooperative institutes, institutions that provide much
00:55of the data and analysis needed for this kind of integrated risk assessment.
01:00And fortunately, as I referenced, you know, the initial signs are that congressional
01:06appropriators are going to move more in the direction that is necessary to address
01:12the real urgent public safety needs here. Dr. Abdilladi, I wanted you to elaborate on some
01:21of your comments earlier about the consequences of the elimination of NOAA's research capabilities.
01:29And how would losing observational data and scientific expertise affect our ability to anticipate and
01:36respond to extreme weather events? Because it is complex, but I think for those who may be tuning
01:42into this topic for the first time, because of recent events, I'd really like to hear what the research
01:47component means to our capacities. Sure. The research component turns those observations into information,
01:57and those observations are the product of exceptional technical development capability, but at the end of
02:04the day, data is not information until it's been examined, interpreted, understood. The research also enables
02:14stuff we take for granted now, the kinds of predictions we take for granted now as being routine to develop.
02:22They are a product of past investments and research. So when we talk about looking to the future and the
02:29forecasting capabilities and the capabilities to ensure resilience, we are talking about the outcomes of
02:38research, the work of the people. So the data are critical. We're talking about observations here.
02:43The capacity to analyze them through artificial intelligence techniques certainly enhance our ability to
02:51interpret that information. But at the end of the day, the fundamental physics and the understanding of
02:56the physics, the chemistry, and the implications requires research.
03:00And what you say there illuminates a point that, you know, I think you'll hear from many of us that there is an
03:08an essential federal role, an essential role that is played by the research that takes place that's funded
03:17by this Congress, and that needs to be supported in a robust way of moving forward.
03:24Absolutely. And I do take to heart the comments of the other witnesses about, you know, new and innovative
03:32ways of looking at and doing things. That's absolutely a critical part of a broad portfolio.
03:38But foundational to it is the development of knowledge, is the interpretation of what we see
03:45that can be augmented by better observations, by new analytical techniques. But at the end of the day,
03:52it takes basic physics and understanding of the physics. It takes people trained in those capabilities
03:58to turn that information into meaningful outcomes. Thank you. As we've previously discussed,
04:06President Trump and Commerce Secretary Lutnik have paused or canceled NOAA contracts for a range of
04:11critical products and services, some with little or no explanation. At the same time, the ongoing
04:17staffing shortages caused by hiring freezes and mass terminations have hollowed out NOAA's operational
04:23capacity. Dr. Nielsen Gammon, how are funding delays or staffing reductions at NOAA affecting the work
04:30of the cooperative institutes or regional climate centers, including your ability to deliver climate
04:36data, forecasting tools and public services? Yeah, our tools get used quite widely by the public,
04:42by various private sectors, by broadcast meteorologists and so forth. We had a four-day pause in our
04:49contract in the end of April because of waiting for approval all the way through the Department
04:53of Congress and renewal of that. We're up for the supplemental funding that has been authorized in
04:59previous budgets by Congress, but we don't know whether that's going to be approved. And the whole
05:05program is up for recompete this year. And basically, we're waiting to see whether whether Congress and
05:13the administration are going to support the services we provide to the country going forward.
05:17Well, thank you for that. And, you know, when we talk about the impact of minutes mattering,
05:23a four-day pause seems pretty problematic. With that, I yield back. Thank you.
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