NCAR Restructuring Plan Under Investigation: Russ Vought Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Private Company Transfer Deal

Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, faces fresh scrutiny over plans to restructure the National Center for Atmospheric Research, known as NCAR. On March 9, Representative Joe Neguse called for an investigation into allegations that Office of Management and Budget officials proposed transferring parts of NCARs space weather program to a private company, according to Boulder Reporting Lab. A whistleblower informed Neguses office, and the claim was confirmed by an employee at the unnamed company. Neguse urged the National Science Foundation inspector general to probe potential conflicts of interest and regulatory issues, arguing that neither the Office of Management and Budget nor the National Science Foundation has authority to sell federal programs. This follows Voughts December statement that the Trump administration aims to break up NCAR, which he called one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country, per the same report. Critics, including scientists and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research board, defend NCAR as vital for weather forecasting and climate modeling that saves lives. The National Science Foundation issued a Dear Colleague Letter on January 23 seeking feedback on dismantling NCAR, with a March 13 deadline, but the whistleblower alleges prior negotiations violate that process. Additionally, the National Science Foundation plans to transfer NCARs Wyoming Supercomputing Center to a third party, possibly the University of Wyoming, as reported by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and noted in Neguses letter. Boulder officials warn that selling the Boulder Mesa Lab could cut water service under a longstanding ordinance. These developments highlight ongoing tensions in federal research funding under Voughts oversight amid broader administration efforts to reshape agencies. Thank you for tuning in, listeners. Please subscribe for more updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.