Jerry Moran

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran has raised concerns in Congress about National Weather Service staffing and satellite funding.

Moran stated that while Congress has appropriated sufficient funds, Kansas's four NWS offices face hiring and retention challenges.

The senator also questioned commerce secretary Howard Lutnick about the next generation of weather satellites, which are critical for forecasting.

Lutnick suggested cost-saving measures, such as placing NOAA sensors on other agencies' satellites to improve data collection.

Weather is a big conversation topic in Kansas.

"Weather does matter to Kansas," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. "Sometimes it's the most common conversation I have with Kansans, is about the weather.

"Just recently in Ottawa and Hillsdale, tornadoes are certainly something that our state encounters from time to time."

Moran is taking those talks about the weather to Congress, where he has raised concerns about satellites and funding for National Weather Service staff.

Moran talked with The Capital-Journal about the weather and government policy while in Topeka on May 1. It came after an April 22 congressional hearing with commerce secretary Howard Lutnick in an appropriations subcommittee chaired by Moran.

The National Weather Service is under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is under the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Kansas has four NWS offices in Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City and Goodland.

"We pay particular attention to the Goodland National Weather Service in large part because it's very important to certainly people in western Kansas, but it's important to everyone across the state because our weather generally comes across the Rockies and the consequences of that affect us," Moran said.

As an appropriator for the weather service, Moran said, "I want to make sure that the money we appropriate is spent and that the positions are filled."

Moran said he has been in touch with the administration, and, "We're having conversations about what further steps need to be taken to make sure that the agency is fully staffed."

Senator raises concerns about NWS staffing in Kansas

Moran said he has concerns about NWS staffing in Kansas.

"We have appropriated money sufficient for the National Weather Service to have full 24-hour-7 coverage in all four National Weather Service offices in our state," he said. "My understanding, in conversations with the people who are in Kansas associated with those four sites, at least what I've heard so far is the challenge is hiring people and making sure we keep the people that we have.

"There's been some retirements at a time in which those positions are hard to fill. But my goal is to help them fill those positions, but to do that, to make sure that the funding is there to do so."

Last year, the Department of Government Efficiency cut federal jobs, including at NWS and NOAA, which reportedly resulted in fewer weather balloon launches. The NOAA workforce has about 2,500 fewer staff than it did at the start of President Donald Trump's second administration, according to federal data, which does not break down how many of those job cuts were at NWS.

In that April 22 hearing, Moran noted the Trump White House's budget proposal includes a $1.6 billion cut to NOAA.

Noting his visits to communities hit by tornadoes in Miami and Franklin counties, Moran told commerce secretary Lutnick, "I look forward to hearing more about the steps the department, through the National Weather Service, is making to ensure full 24/7 staffing at local weather forecast offices."

Moran also brought attention to plans for the next generation of NOAA's geostationary weather satellites. He said satellite data is critical for forecasts and asked Lutnick to commit to keeping the program on target.

Lutnick called the program "vital," but said there is a way to save billions of dollars while collecting more data.

"What we learned is that we can use our sensors and put them in other agencies' satellites and save an enormous amount of money," he said. "So basically save money but have better sensing and invest more money, not the other way around."

Moran said he was unaware of that information, and Lutnick indicated the administration will work with Congress.