President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget calls for eliminating all federal funding for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) regional networks, a move that could disrupt vital real-time data collection relied on by harbor pilots, the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard, and researchers.
The IOOS comprises 11 regional associations tracking ocean conditions like wave swells, current strength, and atmospheric pressure via buoys, radar, and underwater drones. These networks provide real-time data for safe ship navigation, storm forecasting, tsunami tracking, and even shark monitoring.
Independent harbor pilot Ed Enos in Hawaii, who depends on the data daily, warned, “Right at a time when we should be getting more money to do more work to benefit the public, they want to turn things off.”
The proposed cuts are part of a broader $2.5 billion reduction to the Commerce Department, which oversees NOAA. Though Trump’s memo calls for more ocean and weather data collection, it offers no rationale for eliminating funding for the IOOS. Congress could still restore funding before the fiscal year begins on October 1.
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