President Donald Trump's pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says he supports the president's proposed budget, which would slash that agency's funding by 27%, but he called staffing NOAA weather offices a "top priority."
Neil Jacobs, the nominee to become NOAA Administrator, appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday.
Jacobs served as the acting administrator during President Trump's first term.
"I will do my best to ensure this team of scientists, engineers, forecasters and uniformed officers have the resources and leadership needed to fulfill their mission of science, service, and stewardship," Jacobs said during his opening statement Wednesday.
If confirmed, Jacobs would oversee the federal agency charged with providing weather forecasts and predicting natural disasters.
Throughout the hearing, senators referenced the deadly Texas flooding and extended their well wishes to the community there, but they didn't ask Jacobs about the flooding or NOAA's communication of the threat ahead of the flooding.
RELATED STORY | Texas flooding: County deferred a project that would have funded a flood warning system
Senators question NOAA cuts
Lawmakers raised questions to Jacobs about cuts to NOAA's staffing and budget.
The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of jobs at the agency and is proposing cutting more than $2 billion dollars from its budget.
Jacobs said he stands by the proposed budget but said the "essential functions" of the agency's National Weather Service and National Ocean Service will continue.
He said he'll ensure staffing the National Weather Service is a top priority, calling it "really important."
Lawmaker questions Jacob's role in 'Sharpiegate'
Jacobs faced questions about a 2019 incident in which President Trump displayed a NOAA forecast map of Hurricane Dorian's path.
The map appeared to have been altered with a black marker to show the path of the hurricane impacting Alabama.
In a statement, Jacobs and another NOAA official backed the president's actions at the time, which contradicted meteorologists' forecasts.
An inspector general report later said Jacobs violated NOAA's ethics code.
"There's probably some things I would do differently," Jacobs said when asked about the incident Wednesday.
When asked directly by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) if he'd "sign off on an inaccurate statement due to political pressure," in a potential similar scenario in the future, Jacobs said he would not.
The Senate Committee needs to vote on Jacob's nomination before a full senate vote would take place to confirm him.
