Cuts reduced from $900 million to $85.1 million

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to reduce NOAA’s 2018 budget, but the cuts are less severe than those requested by President Donald Trump.

The Senate Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations subcommittee agreed to a $85.1 million cut to NOAA’s budget to $5.6 billion — much less than the nearly $900 million in cuts requested by Trump, according to a press release put out by Senate Republicans.

The committee voted to fully fund NOAA operations, including ocean monitoring, fisheries management, coastal grants to states, aquaculture research, and severe weather forecasting, according to the press release.

The bill rejects the proposal to eliminate NOAA programs, including Sea Grant, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, Coastal Zone Management grants, and the Regional Coastal Resilience program, according to a press release from Senate Democrats. The bill also provides $75 million to begin building a new NOAA survey vessel.

National Fisheries Institute spokesman Gavin Gibbons said his organization supports full funding for NOAA.

“It’s important to fully fund NOAA. The sustainability oversight provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service is world renowned,” he said. “Executing on the tenets of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that provides strong federal oversight is an important mandate that should be supported.”