A judge said the Trump administration can’t dismantle a weather research center. The damage may already be done. – E&E News by POLITICO

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By Scott Waldman | 06/04/2026 06:22 AM EDT
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is the latest example of how the Trump administration’s efforts to chain saw the federal government can happen too fast for the courts or Congress to counter.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought prepares to testify at a House Budget Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 15. Francis Chung/POLITICO
The Trump administration cannot dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a federal judge ruled this week. But the damage may already be done.
Staff are fleeing, equipment has been offered for sale and multiple critical projects are paused, possibly never to be started again.
The federally funded research facility, which forecasts hurricanes, monitors space weather, models wildfires and researches severe storms, is the latest example of how the Trump administration’s efforts to chainsaw the federal government can happen too fast for the courts or Congress to counter.
Courts similarly tried to slow or reverse President Donald Trump’s efforts to disband Voice of America or demolish the White House’s East Wing, only to realize that the administration’s plan was practically or physically hard to undo.
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