FACT SHEET: Trump Administration Cuts To Forecasting, Readiness, Recovery, And Research Are Putting Lives In New Jersey At Risk
Last Updated: 6/3/26
- TRUMP’S CUTS TO EXTREME WEATHER DISASTER PREVENTION AND RECOVERY PROGRAMS HURT NEW JERSEYANS
- TRUMP’S GUTTING OF NOAA AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FUNDING IN NEW JERSEY THREATENS FORECAST ACCURACY AND TIMELINESS
- TRUMP’S MOVE TO SLASH AND CONSOLIDATE THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE UNDERMINES WILDFIRE RESEARCH AND RESPONSE IN NEW JERSEY
- RECENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND FIRES IN NEW JERSEY HAVE CAUSED DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, AND SUCH EVENTS WILL BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND MORE DEADLY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
TRUMP’S CUTS TO EXTREME WEATHER DISASTER PREVENTION AND RECOVERY PROGRAMS HURT NEW JERSEYANS
- New Jersey AG Matthew Platkin joined a coalition of states in suing the Trump administration for its decision to cancel FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Trump’s cuts jeopardized 50 BRIC projects in New Jersey worth $130 million.
- BRIC-funded projects included flood mitigation in the Meadowlands, Jersey City, Weehawken, and Hoboken.
- FEMA canceled a $12 million BRIC grant to make storm basins, drainage systems, and pump stations more flood-resistant in Highlands and Monmouth Hills. Without the projects, local officials expressed concerns that the city would not be able to pump stormwater out of the streets fast enough to prevent flooding.
- In Cape May County, an estimated $19.2 million in BRIC grant funding to build a new floodwall around a sewage treatment plant in Ocean City was canceled.
- A $12 million BRIC grant for flood protection and green infrastructure improvements awarded to Monmouth County was canceled.
- In December 2025, a federal judge found FEMA’s actions were unlawful and ordered the reinstatement of BRIC. In March 2026, FEMA reopened program applications following an order requiring funding to be made available.
TRUMP’S GUTTING OF NOAA AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FUNDING IN NEW JERSEY THREATENS FORECAST ACCURACY AND TIMELINESS
- As of July 2025, the NWS office serving northern New Jersey did not have a chief meteorologist in place.
- New Jersey was awarded $72.5 million for flood mitigation infrastructure. Under Trump, NOAA refused to confirm that contractors would be reimbursed for their work, delaying the project.
TRUMP’S MOVE TO SLASH AND CONSOLIDATE THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE UNDERMINES WILDFIRE RESEARCH AND RESPONSE IN NEW JERSEY
- Under the Trump administration’s reorganization of the agency, the USFS is shuttering 57 of its 77 research facilities across 31 states, threatening scientific research on wildfires, drought, pests, and the effects of climate change on forests.
- USFS research consolidation will undermine the timely implementation of new fire suppression technologies and strain relationships between fire protection personnel and researchers.
- Under the Trump administration’s reorganization, all regional USFS offices were slated for closure. Each regional office employed 200-300 people, and was slated to be replaced by state offices with just five to eight employees.
RECENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND FIRES IN NEW JERSEY HAVE CAUSED DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, AND SUCH EVENTS WILL BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND MORE DEADLY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
- Between 2010 and 2026, New Jersey saw 52 billion-dollar extreme disasters, totaling up to $100 billion in damages.
- Between January 2015 and October 2025, New Jersey received a total of $786,441,828 in FEMA Public Assistance and Individual & Household Program disaster assistance funding, responding to 7 disaster events.
- In the past decade, New Jersey has received $4,339,835,289 in FEMA disaster assistance funding.
- In NJ-07, represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., there were 43 extreme weather disasters from 2011-2024. In that same period, the district received $308,391,772 in FEMA aid.
- In 2012, Hurricane Sandy damaged or destroyed 346,000 homes, killed 38 people, and caused $30 billion in economic damage, making it the costliest disaster in state history.
- In November 2024, New Jersey declared a drought warning due to record-low rainfall and the driest conditions in 120 years. The drought diminished streamflow, reservoir and groundwater levels, and worsened wildfire conditions.
- The April 2025 Jones Road wildfire, fueled by drought conditions, was the second-worst wildfire in 20 years, forcing 5,000 residents to evacuate.
- Recovering from July 2023 flooding and severe storms required a total of $3.8 billion from FEMA for to complete debris removal, emergency protective measures, and more.
- Average temperatures in New Jersey have increased 3.7°F since 1970, making New Jersey the fourth-fastest warming state in the country. More than 180,000 people living in New Jersey are especially vulnerable to extreme heat.
- In New Jersey, annual rainfall is expected to increase from 7% to 11% by 2050, and more intense rain events could increase localized flooding. In July 2025, heavy storms caused two deaths due to flooding.
- 352,000 New Jerseyans are currently at risk of coastal flooding, and due to sea level rise, an additional 110,000 are projected to be at risk by 2050.
- In New Jersey, more than 300,000 people live in areas at elevated risk of inland flooding.
- In 2026, New Jersey faced drought heading into its spring wildfire season. 2.1 million New Jerseyans live in areas where wildfire poses a high or very high risk to homes.