Administration cancels meteorologist disaster training

Energy & Environment

First in The Hill

Administration cancels meteorologist disaster training

The Trump administration has canceled a training that prepares meteorologists to forecast during disasters, The Hill has learned.

The incident meteorologist training for the National Weather Service was canceled amid “short staffing” and a severe reduction in how much employees are allowed to spend on travel, according to an email viewed by The Hill.

An agency source expressed concern that the cancellation of this session would delay new incident meteorologists from being certified — leaving the weather service less able to respond to disasters like fires and putting an even greater strain on the existing workforce.

The source said that employee purchase cards were reduced to $1, so people were unable to book travel and some who had already booked travel had to cancel their flights.

Incident meteorologists are specially trained forecasters who have typical meteorology jobs at the weather service but also volunteer to work on disasters, said Larry Van Bussum, national fire weather operations program manager at the weather service.

They get 250 hours of training to give weather information to incident managers as part of an effort to keep response crews and the general public safe.

Meanwhile, this also does not appear to be the only government training that has recently been canceled.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to The Hill that fire trainings at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were also being canceled, saying via email, “The bottom line is we are no longer paying for non-employee travel. We are only authorizing travel for mission critical programs, this isn’t one.”

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

Microplastics may be stoking antibiotic resistance: Study

The microscopic shards of plastic found in every corner of the planet may be exacerbating antibiotic resistance, a new study has found.

Full Story

Staff shortages halt some federal weather balloon launches amid Trump cuts

The Trump administration is pausing at least a handful of balloon launches that collect weather data in at least three locations due to staffing shortages.

Full Story

Ontario agrees to suspend electricity surcharge ahead of talks with US

The government of Ontario on Tuesday backed off its threat to impose a surcharge on electricity to three U.S. states amid broader trade talks.

Full Story

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Trump buys Tesla to ‘make a statement’ about Musk backlash

President Trump said Tuesday he was buying a Tesla vehicle as he doubled down on his support of Elon Musk, who has come under mounting scrutiny for leading the Trump administration’s government cost initiatives.

Full Story

What We're Reading

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

Atomic Detectives Who Inspect Iran Sites Are Affected by Trump’s Aid Freeze (The New York Times)
US energy secretary says global warming a side effect of modern economy (Reuters)

On Tap

Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hear testimony on minerals-related legislation.

What Others are Reading

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

House Republicans pass bill to avert government shutdown

The House on Tuesday passed a funding bill to avert an end-of-the-week government shutdown, teeing up the measure for consideration in the Senate. Read more

Live updates: House sends funding bill to Senate; Ontario backs off power surcharge

Republicans in Congress are racing to pass a GOP stopgap funding bill by 11:59 p.m. Friday to avert a government shutdown. Read more

You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!

Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage.

Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩

Topics

Trump administration cancels disaster training for meteorologists amid staffing, travel cuts

The Trump administration has canceled a training that prepares meteorologists to forecast during disasters, The Hill has learned. The incident meteorologist training for the National Weather ...
The Hill - 12h
Federal funding cuts lead FEMA to cancel National Fire Academy courses

The cancellation of courses at National Fire Academy comes as the federally funded institution was set to welcome a new set of fire safety officers for training next week.
CBS News - 3d
Lawmakers urge Trump administration to cancel owl-killing plan

A bipartisan group of lawmakers urge the Trump administration to scrap plans to kill more than 450,000 invasive barred owls in West Coast forests in coming decades
ABC News - 1d
Judge blocks Trump administration plan to cut millions for teacher training

Eight states had requested a temporary restraining order, which judge granted saying ‘programs ... will be gutted’ . A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to ...
The Guardian - 8h
Trump cancels $400 million in federal funds to Columbia University

The Trump administration announced Friday that it is canceling $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, saying the school is not doing enough to protect its Jewish students against ...
NBC News - 3d
DOGE mischaracterizes a study as transgender, and USDA cancels it

"CANCELLED: $600,000 grant to study 'menstrual cycles in transgender men,'" Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on X last week. That's not what it was.
CBS News - 1d
At least 450 taken hostage in Pakistan train attack

At least 450 people were taken hostage and six military personnel were killed when the Balochistan Liberation Army attacked a train in Pakistan.
ABC News - 17h
Rubio: 83 percent of USAID programs to be canceled

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that 83 percent of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programs would be canceled, essentially capping a dramatic fall for the ...
The Hill - 1d
Eye Opener: Russia rejects ceasefire deal

Russia rejected a European-led ceasefire deal that would have ended the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced it is cancelling $400 million in grants to Columbia University. ...
CBS News - 3d

More from The Hill

Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency

A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...
The Hill - 5h
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...
The Hill - 5h
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...
The Hill - 5h
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department

Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...
The Hill - 6h
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...
The Hill - 7h

More in Politics

Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency

A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...
The Hill - 5h
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...
The Hill - 5h
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...
The Hill - 5h
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department

Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...
The Hill - 6h
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...
The Hill - 7h