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‘This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country,’ Trump’s OMB director Russell Vought says
Brendan Rascius in New York Wednesday 17 December 2025 22:02 GMT- Bookmark
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The Trump administration has announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), regarded as one of the world’s preeminent research institutions in the field of Earth science.
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the federally funded center has driven multiple scientific breakthroughs since its founding in 1960, including pioneering advancements in weather data collection, atmospheric modeling and lidar technology.
However, to the Trump administration — whose senior officials are largely skeptical of the scientific consensus on climate change — it’s seen as a hub of scaremongering rhetoric.
“This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country,” Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote on X on Tuesday. He said the center would be broken up and that any “vital activities” would be housed elsewhere.
Antonio Busalacchi, the president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which oversees NCAR, quickly denounced Vought’s decision, writing in a statement, “Any plans to dismantle NSF NCAR would set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”
open image in galleryThe Trump administration is dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, which is accused of spreading climate alarmism. (The National Center for Atmospheric Research)A host of other scientists echoed this sentiment, accusing the Trump administration of mounting an all-out attack on critical research institutions.
Peter Geick, the founder of the Pacific Institute, an environmental research non-profit, characterized the planned dismantling of NCAR as “an intellectual war crime.”
“Unbelievable,” Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist, wrote on social media, adding that Vought’s shuttering of the center is “like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.”
Even within the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, the move drew criticism. Roger Pielke Jr., a senior fellow, told USA Today that although he views climate alarmism and the supposed politicization of science as genuine concerns, he considers NCAR “a crown jewel of the U.S. scientific enterprise that should be strengthened, not dismantled.”
The center, which employs about 830 people, is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a consortium of dozens of universities. Most of its funding comes from the federal government.
Over the years, NCAR scientists have earned recognition as leading innovators in atmospheric science. Notably, they developed GPS dropsondes — devices released from aircraft into hurricanes to collect real-time data.
The White House defended its decision to shutter the center by stating that the restructuring is a bid to bring NCAR back to its core mission, according to USA Today, which first reported the decision. The administration will identify and cut out what it described as “green new scam research activities.”
These efforts include a research project focused on protecting wind turbines from severe storms and another aimed at integrating Indigenous knowledge into climate change studies, according to The New York Times.
Pielke Jr. disputed this framing, telling the outlet that NCAR is “way down” on the list of climate research institutions that have become politicized.
open image in galleryRussell Vought, Trump's OMB director, described the UCAR as ‘one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country’ (Getty Images)“A lot of what NCAR does is atmospheric science beyond climate change, like improving short-term weather forecasts,” added Pielke Jr., who previously worked at the center, added. “Destroying it makes no sense.”
Elected officials also weighed in, with many Democrats expressing consternation.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis denounced the move, writing on X that he is “deeply alarmed” and that NCAR’s work “is essential to protecting lives.” Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse called the decision to close the center “a deeply dangerous [and] blatantly retaliatory action.”
At least one Republican applauded Vought’s decision. In response to the OMB director’s post, North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris wrote “Thank you!”
It’s the most recent in a series of actions by the Trump administration to dismantle, defund or sideline climate science institutions.
This summer, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration laid out plans to shrink its budget by about $2 billion and cut its staff by 18 percent. The administration has also terminated over 100 NSF grants for projects pertaining to climate change, according to the MIT Technology Review.
Meanwhile, the administration has slashed environmental regulations around energy production and directed agencies to use all their available authorities to increase production, including of fossil fuels.
Trump himself has long been a skeptic of climate science. In September, he told an audience at the U.N. that climate change is the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”
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