A seemingly continuous series of budget cuts and firings from the US government have left those working on ocean issues reeling in the wake of the inauguration of Donald Trump as president.
Since taking power on 20 January, Trump and his ally, the tech-billionaire Elon Musk, have overseen swingeing cuts to the workforces of key federal bodies, and slashed overseas and domestic funding for research and aid projects. Critics say this has caused huge harm to global health and the environment.
Ahead of his inauguration, ocean experts told Dialogue Earth they feared the damage that might come from a second Trump presidency. Much of it has come to pass.
“In just the first three weeks of Trump’s term, we saw agencies remove access to at least a dozen climate and environmental justice analysis tools,” write researchers Eric Nost and Alejandro Paz in The Conversation. “The new administration also scrubbed the phrase ‘climate change’ from government websites, as well as terms like ‘resilience’”. Nost and Paz are now involved in a project to save environmental data.
Some staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) are anticipating significant job cuts, as Musk’s team slashes employee numbers at federal agencies. Others have been told to cease any contact with foreign nationals, scuppering work on fisheries and international treaties, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Trump has nominated Neil Jacobs as Noaa’s head, a man who has already served one troubled stint as its leader.
Across the world, NGOs are also in shock following the effective shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), which has triggered “stop work orders” for many partner organisations. Staff have been placed on leave and grants thrown into limbo. USAid is the largest single donor of aid globally, powering tens of billions of dollars in funding every year.
Karl Goodsell, head of Positive Change for Marine Life, told Devex he was “very anxious about what the future holds … the impact will be catastrophic for countless people, organisations and governments who rely on USAid to deliver life-changing work”.
These cuts have already reduced the US National Science Foundation’s workforce by 10% (168 people), according to NPR. Researchers have warned the cuts could imperil ocean research in the US. They also undermine the foundation’s funding recipients that monitor the global ocean, including universities, research vessels and the US Antarctic base.
