Senator Murray Slams Lutnick for Decimation of NOAA, Illegal Cancellation of Digital Equity Act Funding, More
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Q&A with Sec. Lutnick***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department. Senator Murray slammed what’s happening at the Department and President Trump’s thoughtless tariffs, and grilled Secretary Lutnick on the Department’s decision to completely eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund in the budget request, the Department’s failure to submit required budget justifications to the Committee, and the Trump administration’s decision to cancel billions of dollars of funding from Senator Murray’s Digital Equity Act which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:
“You know, over the law few months, I am deeply concerned because we have seen: mass firings at NOAA that are really, seriously jeopardizing the weather forecasting that we all count on; funds have been frozen; grants and contracts have been abruptly cancelled; and agencies that were created by Congress in a bipartisan way have been shuttered unilaterally—really ignoring the law—and sweeping, thoughtless tariffs that are crunching small businesses and raising costs for families.
“And we have even seen President Trump illegally block some emergency funding House Republicans included in their yearlong CR which has cut off funding your Department counts on for trade fairness, export controls, NOAA satellites, and more.
“So, needless to say: I don’t think any of this helps advance the Department’s mission to spur economic growth and strengthen America’s competitiveness, and it does leaves me very seriously concerned about whether the Department is going to be able to carry out its job.
“Now, before I turn to my questions, I do want to quickly raise your decision to cancel $48 million in Tech Hub funding for the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center in Eastern Washington and Idaho—alongside several other hubs. We had a chance to talk about this yesterday, but I want you to know I have a lot more questions than I think you answered.
“This hub is really a partnership of industry, academia, the military, and governments at all levels. Cancelling that funding and further delaying progress at the tech hub really damages our defense industrial base and limits our ability to compete with China, as I told you yesterday. So, that is unacceptable, and I look forward to you resolving that as soon as possible.”
[TRUMP REQUESTS TO ELIMINATE SALMON RECOVERY PROGRAM]
Senator Murray began by explaining how important NOAA is to our nation’s fisheries and how important salmon are to Washington state’s way of life, calling out President Trump’s request to zero out funding for a key salmon program: “Now, I do want to ask you while you’re here, one of the agencies you oversee is NOAA. It is absolutely essential to supporting sustainable fisheries, protecting our natural resources, and making sure that we have accurate weather forecasts. Cutting away at NOAA—as you have been doing and as your budget proposes to do further—is going to do serious harm. Among other cuts, your budget would completely eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. That would be a catastrophic failure—it would abandon our communities, our Tribes, and our industries who rely on salmon. And across the Pacific Northwest, salmon are not just fish—they are a way of life, and they are foundational to our economy and our culture. So, I would like you to explain quickly why you proposed that cut, and I want to ask you, did you consult with our Tribes or fishing communities who count on it before making that decision?”
Secretary Lutnick replied, “The issues are that we do the same thing in multiple ways in NOAA. We have not cut any hydrologists, which are the people who study the water.”
“You eliminated the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. That is what I'm precisely asking you about. Did you talk to our tribes or fishermen before you did that?” Senator Murray pressed.
“Of course,” responded Secretary Lutnick.
Senator Murray said, “Well, I have spoken to the tribes, I've talked to the scientists, I've talked to the fishermen. No one—no one—in the Pacific Northwest supports those cuts. And I want everyone to know I will not vote for an appropriations bill that eliminates that funding.”
[LACK OF TRANSPARENCY]
Senator Murray then asked about the Department failure to present full budget justifications to Congress, “Now, staying on NOAA facilities like the Northwest Fishery Science Center, which is in Seattle, are really in dire need of investment. For this reason, this CJS Appropriations Subcommittee has long included language requiring the Secretary of Commerce to include the cost estimates for NOAA construction projects of more than $5 million, in the congressional budget justification materials, as well as the 5-year cost estimates for those projects. Are you aware of that requirement?”
“My understanding is we filed our budget according to the CR with exact precision,” Secretary Lutnick replied.
“Well, have you submitted the Department’s FY26 congressional budget justification? It did not include the list of projects, which it’s required to do,” asked Senator Murray.
Secretary Lutnick continued to dodge, “My understanding is the CR had certain obligations for us, and we followed them with precision. That's my understanding.”
Senator Murray pushed back, “Well, the fact is that you are required by law to submit the NOAA PAC [Procurement, Acquisition and Construction] construction list to Congress with the budget. That wasn't done. Can we get that list by Friday?”
“I'll happily take a look at it. And if it's required, of course, I will send it,” said Secretary Lutnick.
Senator Murray responded, “Okay. It is required.”
[ATTACKS ON DIGITAL EQUITY ACT]
Senator Murray turned her questions about President Trump’s recent announcement he is illegally planning to cancel Digital Equity Act grants, “Mr. Secretary, I wrote a law, it was called the Digital Equity Act, to help close the digital divide—and it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Now, the Administration has arbitrarily cancelled billions of dollars for the Digital Equity Act, claiming it’s unconstitutional. This is a program that every state, Democrat and Republican, has applied for—every single state in the country. It distributes laptops in Iowa. It helped people get back online after Hurricane Helene washed away computers and phones in western North Carolina. It’s a program in rural Alabama where they taught seniors—including some who have never used a computer—how to use the internet. I want to ask you, has the Supreme Court declared this bipartisan law unconstitutional? Has any judge?”
Secretary Lutnick sidestepped the question, “It will go through the courts and the courts will decide.”
“No one has declared this unconstitutional—no one. Your job, Mr. Secretary, is to carry out the law that Congress has passed. You don't get to keep laptops from our kids, because the President doesn't care about kids in rural communities. My advice to you here—it is a law, it is not unconstitutional, and I would urge you to get those digital equity dollars out the door and save everyone the legal fees, because the law is very clear,” emphasized Senator Murray.
[TRUMP’S THOUGHTLESS TRADE WAR]
Senator Murray concluded by saying, “I just have a few seconds left, and I before I finish, I do want to underscore my state, Washington state, is one of the most trade dependent states in the nation. 40% of our jobs are connected to international trade and President Trump and your Department continue to pursue this chaotic tariff policy that businesses in my state stand to lose billions of dollars. I have heard from businesses across my state, from manufacturers, from small retailers. They are struggling to absorb the cost increases on everything from napkins to car parts. And this uncertainty has really left them scrambling which has delayed investments and caused serious supply chain disruptions, especially at our ports. These actions, in addition, have really harmed our relationships with our key allies like Canada. I heard Senator Collins here earlier talking about Maine being their neighbor—it is our neighbor in Washington state. They are one of our biggest trading partners. And let me be clear, this is causing chaos, disruption, anger. And we have got to get this resolved because farmers, our people and our small businesses and our communities, are really hurting.”
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