Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration's dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project

Bipartisan lawmakers are escalating their fight to stop the Trump administration from dismantling most of a $386 million federal ocean-monitoring network, warning that the move could erase a major source of climate, ecosystem and coastal data.

The National Science Foundation has ordered the removal of most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of more than 900 sensors deployed in waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland. Scientists said the first buoy off the Oregon coast was scheduled to be pulled on June 16, 2026.

The dispute sharpened on June 15, when senators and House Democrats sent letters pressing the agency to reverse course. The lawmakers said the planned removals should be paused until Congress and the marine science community can review the decision.

Congress pushes back

Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Lisa Murkowski led a Senate letter urging NSF to halt the dismantling and conduct a thorough review with scientists who use the system. The bipartisan pairing underscored the breadth of concern around the planned cuts.

House Democrats on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Natural Resources Committee sent a separate letter. They went further than the Senate group, calling the action illegal and demanding that the agency stop it.

The lawmakers are questioning whether NSF followed required notice procedures before moving ahead with the decommissioning plan for a major federal scientific asset. Their letters ask whether the agency gave Congress the advance warning they say is required before work begins.

What the network does

The Ocean Observatories Initiative has spent more than a decade collecting ocean data on circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather. Scientists and coastal planners have also used it to follow El Niño and other coastal and climate-related processes.

According to AP, the system has contributed to more than 500 scientific publications. Researchers say the network has become a long-running federal infrastructure investment that helps fill observational gaps in remote and hard-to-monitor waters.

The project was originally expected to keep running for another 15 to 20 years. That is one reason lawmakers and scientists describe the current plan as more than a routine budget adjustment.

NSF's rationale

NSF has said it is not canceling the project, but rather scaling it back as part of a broader shift in priorities. In a June 3 statement, the agency described the move as a "descope" and said it remained committed to ocean science and high-priority research objectives.

The agency said its decision was informed in part by a 2025 National Academies report on the future of ocean science. It framed the changes as an effort to align the network with evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies.

Lawmakers and scientists are not persuaded by that explanation. They argue that removing most of the in-water infrastructure amounts to dismantling the system, not simply revising it.

Why it matters

The stakes extend beyond one research project. The observatory has been used to track long-term changes in the ocean that inform work on climate, marine ecosystems and severe weather.

Scientists warn that if the data stream is interrupted, it could become harder to understand changing ocean conditions and to support emergency planning, especially for coastal communities that depend on timely information.

The planned removals also raise broader questions about how the federal government handles major science infrastructure once it decides to shrink support. For lawmakers, the immediate issue is whether NSF can begin removing hardware before Congress has fully reviewed the move.

What happens next

The first physical removal was set to begin June 16 off the Oregon coast. Beyond that, NSF has directed that most of the system's instruments be removed by 2027.

If the agency proceeds, the work would affect sites across several regions, including the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland.

Lawmakers said they plan further oversight and possible legislative action if NSF does not reverse course. They also want to determine whether the agency gave the required decommissioning notice before starting the process.

For now, the fight has become a test of whether Congress can slow or block the dismantling of a major federal science investment once an administration decides to reduce it.