{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-presses-trump-admin-dangerous-weather-service-staffing-shortages-wake", "Davids Presses Trump Admin on Dangerous Weather Service Staffing Shortages in Wake of Severe Kansas Storms", "2025-06-17", "2025", "2025-06", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Representative Sharice Davids demanded answers from United States Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on critical staffing shortages at the National Weather Service (NWS) that are putting Kansans at risk amid an increasingly severe storm season.\n\nWith Kansas already experiencing multiple devastating tornadoes and storms this year, Davids raised urgent concerns about the Trump Administration\u2019s hiring freeze and staffing cuts that have left NWS field offices, including in Kansas, unable to operate around the clock. One such office \u2014 Goodland\u2019s Weather Forecast Office, which serves more than 80,000 residents across Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska \u2014 was forced to cut back operations just days before an EF-3 tornado touched down nearby.\n\n\u201cAmericans across the country are faced with power outages, property damage, expensive cleanup costs, and the loss of family and friends; farmers \u2013 who rely heavily on weather data \u2013 are worse off without NWS forecasting in the midst of planting season,\u201d wrote Davids. \u201cMeanwhile, the Trump administration has downsized NWS staff by the hundreds and implemented a government-wide hiring freeze currently in place through the middle of July.\u201d\n\nDavids\u2019 letter also highlights the nationwide implications of NWS staffing shortages, including decreased weather balloon launches \u2014 critical to severe storm forecasting \u2014 and long-standing gaps in meeting tornado warning accuracy goals. Davids pushed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to explain how they will accelerate the hiring of 126 promised meteorologists and restore 24/7 forecasting capabilities to offices like Goodland\u2019s.\n\nDavids demanded a response from Secretary Lutnick within 30 days, with specific information on how Kansas communities will be affected and protected going forward.\n\n\u201cEvery single person in this country relies on the NWS in their daily lives,\u201d Davids continued. \u201cThis agency is a top priority for public safety and national security, and indiscriminate cuts have only worsened the success of our nation\u2019s weather forecasting. I appreciate your urgent attention to this matter and look forward to working with your Department to restore and improve NWS operations for the benefit of all Americans.\u201d\n\nDavids has consistently advocated for federal support that keeps Kansas families safe and informed, including introducing bipartisan legislation to update weather technology and emergency preparedness. She continues to call out the harmful impacts of the Trump Administration\u2019s reckless federal workforce cuts and push for swift action to rebuild critical public safety infrastructure. Last week, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins admitted to Davids that certain federal firings have been an \u201cimperfect process.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-presses-trump-admin-dangerous-weather-service-staffing-shortages-wake"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8835950866341591, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}