Rep. Joe Neguse Calls Trump's NCAR Plan an "Unlawful" Retaliation

The Battle Over the National Center for Atmospheric Research

A Democratic congressman from Colorado is leading a fierce opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Rep. Joe Neguse, who serves as the U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader, has spoken out strongly against the move, calling it “deeply dangerous,” “reckless,” and “short-sighted.” He also claims the decision is “ultimately unlawful.”

NCAR, located in Boulder, employs 830 people and plays a critical role in atmospheric research. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has labeled NCAR as “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.” In a statement, he mentioned that a review of the center by the National Science Foundation is underway, suggesting that some employees may be transferred to other federal departments.

Neguse, whose district includes Boulder, emphasized the importance of NCAR's work, calling it “life-saving and critical for our national security.” He believes the move is a political retaliation by the Trump administration against the state of Colorado. This accusation comes amid ongoing tensions between the administration and Colorado’s governor over the case of Tina Peters, a former county clerk and election official who was convicted of state criminal offenses.

“It has nothing to do with the work that's being done every day at NCAR ... and everything to do with politics and the Trump administration's general lawlessness, to try to secure the release of Tina Peters,” Neguse said. “This is part and parcel, I think, of a strategy by the Trump administration to retaliate against the state of Colorado.”

A senior White House official told CBS Colorado that NCAR was founded for legitimate weather research, not climate alarmism. They claimed that an institutional shift toward climate change occurred in the 1980s, citing NCAR’s research into wind turbines and the formation of a center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences as examples of “woke” waste of taxpayer funds.

“By restructuring the lab, President Trump is restoring NCAR to its original purpose and undoing the diversion that took place,” the spokesperson said.

If the plans to dismantle NCAR move forward, Neguse said he will form a bipartisan coalition to stop it. He emphasized that the action is “blatantly unlawful,” given the retaliatory motive, and suggested there could be legal grounds to challenge the decision.

“We're certainly going to pursue every procedural tool we can,” Neguse said. “This action, it's clear to me, is blatantly unlawful, given the retaliatory motive in particular, and I think there could be legal grounds to challenge the decision on that basis, as well as other procedural motions that we might be able to make over the coming months to make the case here in Congress that this action cannot stand.”

Neguse stressed that the scientific research conducted at NCAR is “not partisan work.” He argued that the elimination of the facility would put the nation at a competitive disadvantage, especially in terms of severe weather prediction and the state’s economy.

“The war on science that the Trump administration has initiated very much is, I think, centered on Colorado as a state,” he said.

The White House has stated that after breaking up NCAR, they plan to move some vital functions, such as weather modeling and supercomputing, to other entities. However, they have not specified which ones.

The White House Response

Following a comprehensive review, the National Science Foundation will be breaking up NCAR to eliminate what the administration calls “Green New Scam research activities.” Any vital functions, such as weather modeling and supercomputing, will be moved under the purview of another entity or location. Parts of the lab may be moved to another entity.

NCAR was founded for legitimate weather research, not climate alarmism. It was instituted in 1960 to focus on practical research in atmospheric chemistry and physical meteorology. The institutional shift to climate change took place during the 1980s, when the federal government began to heavily fund such research. NCAR’s budget more than doubled from the 80s to the 90s under federal climate alarmism.

In a 1992 Nature article, scientific peers worried that this influx in funding would cause NCAR to “forget about its core mission to support academic atmospheric researchers.” By restructuring the lab, President Trump is restoring NCAR to its original purpose and undoing the diversion that took place.

Many of NCAR’s activities are seen as far from strong or useful science. Under UCAR’s woke direction, NCAR wastes taxpayer funds on frivolous pursuits and ideologies:

• Its Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences aimed to, "make the sciences more welcoming, inclusive, and justice-centered." This involved joining "indigenous knowledge" with climate research.
• One of its art series, Exploring Water Through Art, examined, "our relationship with water through mediums such as recycled materials, photography, oil paintings, and more."
• Its research into wind turbines sought to "better understand and predict the impact of weather conditions and changing climate on offshore wind production."
• Its "FRAPPÉ" experiment traced air pollution to demonize motor vehicles, oil, and gas operations.