Republican plans to shrink the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are drawing new scrutiny after an Associated Press investigation found several Trump administration appointees have personal or family ties to firms positioned to profit if federal forecasting is privatized. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who oversees both agencies, previously led Cantor Fitzgerald, which retains a roughly 13-percent stake in satellite-imagery company Satellogic and holds interests in BGC Group’s weather-derivatives market. Lutnick is still divesting Cantor shares, according to a June ethics filing, though the Commerce Department says he is complying with conflict-of-interest rules. Cantor paid a US$6.75 million Securities and Exchange Commission fine in 2024 over disclosures related to Satellogic. The White House’s 2026 budget proposes US$8 billion in cuts to future NOAA satellites, part of a wider push outlined in the GOP’s “Project 2025” to break up NOAA and “fully commercialize” forecasting. Trump’s nominee to run NOAA, Neil Jacobs—formerly chief atmospheric scientist at Panasonic Weather Solutions—and nominee Taylor Jordan, a lobbyist for AccuWeather, Spire Global and other clients, both support expanding commercial roles in federal weather data. Jacobs is slated to appear before a Senate committee this week. Critics warn the strategy could erode a federal service that has provided free forecasts since the 1800s, particularly after deadly July flooding in Texas underscored dependence on timely warnings. “Are we really talking about making weather products available only to those who can afford it?” asked Rick Spinrad, NOAA administrator under President Joe Biden. The investigation also notes potential gains for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which could launch a new generation of privately funded weather satellites after staff cuts—about one-third—in the Office of Space Commerce. The Commerce Department maintains that all nominees will heed agency ethics counsel if confirmed.