PRESS RELEASE
September 3, 2025
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has “pulled back” $239 million of appropriated but unobligated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding. This news came as OMB finally approved the detailed FY25 NOAA spend plan, months after it was due to Congress and just weeks before the end of the fiscal year. Of particular concern to Coastal States Organization, are the cuts to Coastal Zone Management (CZM) “Projects of Special Merit” and other coastal and marine related funds. Projects of Special Merit funding are competitive grants awarded state or territory coastal management programs to develop innovative projects to enhance state or national coastal management priorities, such as coastal hazards, ocean and Great Lakes resources, and wetlands.
This move by the Trump Administration sets a deeply concerning precedent. Funds for these and other projects were appropriated by Congress as part of the FY2025 continuing resolution. As Congress holds the power of the purse, any effort by an Administration to not spend appropriated funds should require Congressional approval. However, the Administration has decided unilaterally at the end of the fiscal year to simply not spend unobligated funds, using a controversial tactic known as “pocket recissions”. While these funds had not technically been obligated, the handful of states slated to receive grants for Projects of Special Merit, had already been notified that they had won these awards and were expecting this money to be available.
The cuts to state and territory coastal management programs and related programs include:
