In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as people and communities begin to recover and rebuild, the important role of federal agencies such as the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has never been more apparent. For decades, these agencies have provided timely warnings and coordinated responses to major disasters, saving lives and offering assistance to those in need.
Project 2025—the playbook written by former President Donald Trump appointees as a quick-start guide for his second term in office—threatens to dismantle the very institutions and programs that protect the nation in times of disaster.
Project 2025’s plan to defund or dismantle agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NWS would shift critical responsibilities to private companies. Instead of relying on these trusted public sources for life-saving weather alerts and other key information, Americans could be forced to pay corporations for crucial information that NWS currently provides for free.