Federal Observatory
Starting in August, 2025, CCRM will begin tracking Federal policy and administration changes that may have important implications for the management of catastrophic risks. We report them by agency. However, where they are relevant to more than one agency, we report them under "General."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
October 14, 2025: An article in the magazine Forbes describes threats to the publication of the CDC's important publication, the Morbidiity and Mortality Weekly Report (including the firing of some of the MMWR editorial staff). See https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2025/10/14/this-embattled-cdc-publication-is-a-big-deal-for-public-health/
October 14, 2025: Of 1300 CDC employes who received reduction-in-force notices on Friday, October 10, about 600 CDC workers remained fired on Monday, October 13th. Of the original number, 700 received notices revoking their determinations. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/federal-employees-in-mental-health-and-disease-control-were-among-targets-in-weekend-firings/
September 19, 2025: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the CDC on vaccines, met on September 18-19 and decided against recommending the Covid-19 vaccine for people older than 6 months. More details of the meeting are reported here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-rfk-jr-s-hand-picked-cdc-advisory-panel-voted-on-covid-vaccines-and-more
September 16, 2025: The former CDC Director, Susan Monarez, and the former CDC Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Debra Houry, testified in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committeeto about testify about pressure by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to alter vaccine policies. Video of the testimoney can be found here: https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/fired-cdc-director-and-former-chief-medical-officer-testify-on-rfk-jrs-leadership-part-1/665435
September 3, 2025: Former CDC Directors under both Democratic and Republican Presidents wrote an editorial that appeared in today's New York Times. The title is: We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health. You can read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/opinion/cdc-leaders-kennedy.html. The HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wrote an editorial that appear in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that was entitled We’re Restoring Public Trust in the CDC. Read his editorial here: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-were-restoring-public-trust-in-the-cdc-6f26c176?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAhthXVsF61shjZ4iHpH6KrmLRdD5RJHByO2BtOeRxCpoJwlHYwMnkVlIoL2RaA%3D&gaa_ts=68b8b773&gaa_sig=Qb0TsoS2riGso9-sRZMriyhJ4a5xJ5r8YANVqBJ8ZSKg9ZuqXg8Z4KzpFIs9pinwih_6huHRo-87Rb5pkOY6CQ%3D%3D
August 29, 2025: CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired this week by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Because she is confirmed by the Senate and serves "at the pleasure of the President," she refused to resign until asked to do so by President Trump. The White House Press Office later reported that she had been fired. Kennedy then appointed an advisor, Jim O'Neill, to serve as Acting Director. Find details of the story here: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/08/29/nx-s1-5522036/cdc-rfk-hhs-monarez-jim-oneill-leadership
Environmental Protection Agency
September 18, 2025. The New York Times reports that the EPA has upheld industry responsibility for cleanup of "forever chemicals." Read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/climate/epa-pfas-forever-chemicals.html. Read the EPA's press release here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/trump-epa-announces-next-steps-regulatory-pfoa-and-pfos-cleanup-efforts-provides
September 17, 2025: A report from New Hampshire NPR says that a quarter of the New England Office of the EPA have left since February as the result of early retirements, layoffs, eiminated positions or being placed on leave for criticizing the administration. Read the story here: https://www.nhpr.org/new-england-news/2025-09-17/new-england-epa-trump-cuts-morale
September 12, 2025: EPA proposes to eliminate the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has collected data from about 8,000 of the country’s largest industrial facilities since 2010, which it says will save these businesses $2.4 billion in regulatory costs (https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-proposal-end-burdensome-costly-greenhouse-gas-reporting-program-saving-24). Others say that this proposal would undermine efforts to track efforts to address climate change. See, for instance, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/climate/epa-emissions-data-collection-halt.html
September 2, 2025: A Federal Appelate Court sided with EPA and its cancellation of $20 Billion in climate grants, reversing the District Court's ruling against the termination in April. Read more about the case in Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/02/appeals-court-epa-climate-grant-00539926
August 19, 2025: Reuters reports that the Attorney General of California, along with AGs from other states, have asked the EPA to rescind its efforts to reverse the so-called "endangerment" ruling, the ruling that greenhouse gases endanger human health. By reversing this ruling, the EPA undercuts the legal basis for encouraging electric cars and fuel-efficient vehicles. See the article: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/california-other-state-ags-urge-trump-epa-drop-plan-kill-greenhouse-gas-rules-2025-08-19/
Federal Aviation Administration
September 12, 2025: The FAA has proposed a $3.1 million fine against Boeing for safety violations between September 2023 and February 2024. Read the details here: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposes-31-million-fines-against-boeing
August, 7, 2025: The FAA has announced that it plans on hiring 8900 new air traffic controllers by 2028 and 4600 safety inspectors and engineers by 2034. They also report a number of new measures to streamline and increase recruitment. Details are provided here: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-releases-updated-air-traffic-controller-safety-inspector-hiring-plans
Federal Emergency Management Agency
October 14, 2025: District Judge William Smith has criticized the Trump Administration for violating his ruling that withholding FEMA grants from states who do not support the Administration's immigration policies is unconstitutional. For more information, see this Newsweek article: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-court-fema-funding-immigration-dhs-10878190
September 3, 2025: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the "Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025". The Bill now goes to the House Floor. The Bill reforms FEMA procedures in order to speed funding to emergency victims. Find more information here: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/fema-act-reform-federal-disaster-response/759877/
September 2, 2025: A General Accountability Office report concludes that "FEMA workforce reductions may reduce how effective a federal response could be in future high-impact disasters." Find the report here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-108598
September 2, 2025: Government Executive reports that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has fired 24 FEMA employees for cybersecurity lapses. Read the article here: https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/09/noem-terminates-24-fema-workers-failing-address-cyber-vulnerabilities/407833/
August 26, 2025: As we near the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA staff have issued a "Katrina Declaration" and "Petition to Congress." The Declaration argues that the Trump Administration is working against the intent of the Post-Katrinna Emergency Reform Act (PKEMRA) of 2006, which was passed after Hurricane Katrina to avoid future catastrophes. The text of the Katrina Declaration and Petition to Congress can be found here: https://www.standupforscience.net/fema-katrina-declaration
August 7, 2025: FEMA will make $40 million for States and Tribal Governments under theNext Generation Warning System Grant Program to improve public notification systems. Read the press release here: https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20250807/fema-announces-40-million-funding-states-and-tribal-nations-help-notify
Forest Service
October 2, 2025: High Country News reports that Forest Service furlough policy is creating "confusion" in the wildland firefighting community. While firefighters are deemed essential personnel, many support personnel have been furloughed. Seehttps://www.hcn.org/articles/shutdown-causes-confusion-across-the-forest-service/
September 10, 2005: The Forest Service has changed its guidance on masks for wildland firefighters. In the future, it will issue them N95 masks. Read more here: https://neguse.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-neguse-and-colleagues-secure-agreement-usfs-provide-protective-masks
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
August 4, 2025: NPR reports on Trump Adminisration termination of two NASA satellites known as Orbiting Carbon Observatories that monitor global carbon dioxide. Here is the report: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened
National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration
September 10, 2025: The House Appropriations Committions has rejected the Trump Administration proposal to eliminate NOAA's research arm, cutting the budget by only 6% while leaving NOAA laboratories open. Find more detail here: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13092025/congress-advances-bills-to-save-noaa/
August 28, 2025: NOAA announces an experimental widlfire potential index for the U.S. that updates hourly: https://research.noaa.gov/an-experimental-noaa-tool-that-predicts-hourly-wildfire-hazards-across-the-u-s/
August 12, 2025: A Wikipedia page on "NOAA under the second presidency of Donald Trump" provides a detailed accounting of changes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA_under_the_second_presidency_of_Donald_Trump
August 10, 2025: The State of Washington has brought a lawsuite against NOAA and the Department of Commerce for termination of $9 million in climate resilience fundinmg. More information here: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/washington-sues-noaa-commerce-over-termination-9m-climate-resilience-funds/HCL57CMZMRCW3LSZKMDNCPOW5M/
August 7, 2005: The National Weather Service has updated its prediction of the number of storms and hurricanes this season and now expects 13-18 storms with winds higher than 39mph and 2-5 major hurricanes with winds 111mph or higher. For more details, see https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/prediction-remains-on-track-for-above-normal-atlantic-hurricane-season
August 7, 2025: A press release from the offce of Congressman Mike Flood notes that NOAA intends to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians (https://flood.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressmen-flood-sorensen-applaud-announcement-hire-450-critical-positions). Earlier, DOGE cuts at the National Weather Service had led to a reduction of over 500 jobs (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/weather/nws-hiring-doge-cuts.html)
August 6, 2025: The Trump Administration archived NOAAs "Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters" database in May, 2025. The Claims Journal reports that a nonprofit group, Climate Central, will now continue the data collection. Read the article here here: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2025/08/06/332242.htm