This was written by Elizabeth Hauptman, Moms’ Michigan Field Organizer.
The National Weather Service (NWS) and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), play a vital role in keeping families safe from severe weather and other environmental threats—like the soot-filled air from wildfire smoke currently putting my asthmatic son’s health at risk.
Yet the Trump administration has already begun to implement drastic layoffs and funding cuts that will make it impossible for these agencies to continue doing their jobs.
Congress needs to fight back and ensure these agencies are fully staffed and funded—to protect the health of kids like mine and yours.
Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats
Earlier this month, my son came home from school pink-cheeked and exhausted. He told me he had to use his inhaler multiple times throughout the day—something that’s not normal for him. It was field day, and all he wanted was to run and play with his classmates. Instead, he struggled to breathe because smoke from climate-fueled wildfires in Canada was billowing into our town in Michigan.
The skies were hazy, the air smelled like burning wood, and the alerts on my phone were all too familiar: Unhealthy air for sensitive groups. Avoid prolonged outdoor activity.
These alerts are critical, and they are at risk. The President is working to gut NOAA, which monitors soot pollution, one of the most dangerous pollutants in wildfire smoke. They partner with EPA to issue the air quality alerts—not just for soot, but for ozone and other pollutants too—that let me know to keep my son inside to protect his health.
And my family isn’t the only one that relies on this information. All sensitive populations, including babies, pregnant people, people with respiratory conditions, and older adults, need to know when the air is unsafe for them to breathe.
When our government puts our families’ health in jeopardy, it’s time to speak out. Join Moms in calling on Congress to fully fund NWS and NOAA.
Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats