{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://franklin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404", "Franklin, Wasserman Schultz Lead Bipartisan Effort To Modernize NOAA Hurricane Hunter Fleet", "2024-12-06", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Scott Franklin", "F000472", "franklin.house.gov", "franklin", "https://franklin.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-18) and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) led 11 of their Florida colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging Congress to include funds to modernize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s (NOAA) hurricane hunter aircraft fleet in any upcoming emergency disaster relief supplemental package.\n\n\u201cNOAA\u2019s hurricane hunter fleet is critical to delivering real-time data to improve the accuracy of forecasts and inform emergency management efforts,\u201d said Congressman Franklin. \u201cDuring Hurricane Milton, I joined the crew of NOAA 42 and saw firsthand the importance of this life-saving weather tracking technology. Congress must fund the modernization of NOAA\u2019s aging planes to help protect our communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith increasingly severe hurricane seasons, communities across the nation are relying more than ever on NOAA\u2019s life-saving storm tracking and forecasting capabilities,\u201d said Wasserman Schultz. \u201cBy investing in new hurricane hunter aircraft now, we ensure that NOAA can continue to protect lives, property, and entire communities from the growing threats of extreme weather.\u201d\n\nThe funding, as outlined in the Administration\u2019s supplemental request, would enable NOAA\u2019s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) to complete construction of two new hurricane hunter planes already in progress and acquire a third. This modernization effort is vital to maintaining the nation\u2019s hurricane and extreme weather forecasting capabilities.\n\nNOAA\u2019s current WP-3D Orion planes are set to retire in 2030 after decades of service. Without timely replacements, NOAA\u2019s ability to collect real-time data and improve extreme weather forecasts will be at serious risk.\n\nThe lawmakers emphasized the modernization effort is essential not only for hurricane readiness, but also to inform water resource planning and improve fire weather and drought predictions. Recent hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, underscore the necessity of bolstering NOAA\u2019s capabilities to address escalating weather threats.\n\nRead the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "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://franklin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.127299878746271, "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"}