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Climate & Science Re-reversed Unannounced
NSF Ocean Observatories funding restored by Congress, dismantled anyway
$368M program; 900+ instruments slated for removal across 4 of 5 arrays
Original action
The administration's NSF sought to cut roughly 80% of funding for the $368M Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) in its FY2025 and FY2026 budget proposals.
- National Science Foundation / OMB
- Ocean Observatories Initiative
Reversal
Congress rejected the proposed cuts and restored OOI funding both years. Despite the restored appropriation, NSF began a 'descoping' process in May 2026, sending ships to remove more than 900 instruments from four of the OOI's five arrays.
- Mechanism: funding-restored
Notes
Two-stage reversal: Congress restored the funding the administration tried to cut, but NSF moved to physically dismantle the program regardless of the appropriation. The motivating example for TACO.