Stop Trump’s privatization of the National Weather Service!
Petition to Congress:
We urge you to take all steps within your power to fight the Trump administration’s plans to privatize key weather services, like those handled by the National Weather Service.
Trump is planning to privatize the National Weather Service and turn it into a for-profit subscription scheme. That means Americans could soon pay out of pocket for life-saving weather forecasts amid ever-worsening climate disasters.1
Amid major budget cuts to government services, Trump’s plans to privatize weather forecasting could prove a boon for the multibillion-dollar private weather industry — including some major players in the president’s orbit.
As recent weather disasters have shown, we cannot allow our national weather services to be hollowed out for the profit of Trump and his allies.
Since 1870, the National Weather Service has provided weather data, forecasts, and alerts to the public. But recently, the agency has been targeted for privatization.
That includes Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s archconservative blueprint for gutting the federal bureaucracy, which called for “break[ing] up” the agency behind the National Weather Service and “fully commercializ[ing] its forecasting operations.”
Privatizing the weather service could limit climate scientists’ ability to access reliable weather information — and make it harder for everyone else to stay safe in climate emergencies. Imagine private companies looking for price-gouging opportunities as a hurricane looms on the horizon.
Our lawmakers must do everything in their power to protect the National Weather Service.
Sources:
- PBS, "As Trump slashed weather agency, his appointees have ties to companies that stand to benefit from privatizing forecasts,” July 9, 2025.