Trump administration moves to dismantle NCAR, Colorado's climate research hub

The Trump administration moved to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a Boulder, Colorado‑based climate research hub, according to officials familiar with the plan. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought outlined the proposal in a Tuesday evening post, describing NCAR as a major source of climate alarmism. NCAR operates as a nonprofit research center but is largely funded by the federal government through the National Science Foundation, making it a centerpiece of U.S. climate science.

The administration’s plan would break up NCAR and shift vital activities to other entities or locations. While officials have said that core weather research could be preserved, the work would be redistributed outside the current organizational structure. NCAR is known for lifesaving weather modeling and forecasting, in addition to cutting‑edge climate research. Critics warn that moving programs away from NCAR could weaken the national climate and weather‑prediction enterprise, potentially affecting forecasts used by governments and businesses around the world.

Supporters of the move argue it would streamline federal science by consolidating programs, but the plan comes as NOAA has faced funding pressures and policy shifts that critics say hinder climate action. The potential breakup would remove a long‑standing hub of atmospheric science from Colorado and reshape how weather‑related research is conducted and funded.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has publicly clashed with the administration over political matters, complicating the state’s relationship with federal science programs. Polis has objected to Trump administration moves and the political climate surrounding climate policy, further testing the state's ties to NCAR’s operations and its workforce.

At this stage the plan has not moved into formal legislation. Vought’s post signals intent, but implementing a breakup would require coordination with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, and Congress. Officials cautioned that the restructuring could take years and would likely involve personnel changes, property transfers, and allocations of ongoing research projects.

NCAR's work is widely used for weather prediction and climate science. Located in Boulder and operated by a nonprofit, it has long partnered with federal agencies to advance modeling, simulation, and climate risk assessment. Its staff and facilities support national weather services and international climate research, making any disruption potentially consequential for forecasts and climate projections.

Across the scientific community, the plan has triggered concern about the resilience of the United States’ climate‑science infrastructure. Observers note that dismantling NCAR could hamper collaboration, slow advances, and complicate international efforts to monitor and respond to climate change. The next steps remain unclear as government leaders weigh the proposal against broader priorities and the federal budget.