Heinrich Introduces Legislation to Keep New Mexicans Informed of Natural Disasters Amidst Trump Administration Reckless Cuts

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) to introduce the Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act, legislation to reverse the Trump Administration's decision to terminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s extreme weather database, which was vital to keeping families, researchers, and policy makers informed on the cost of natural disasters.

"Climate change is making extreme weather and disasters more frequent and increasingly catastrophic. We need clear, accessible information about the costs and impacts of these disasters," said Heinrich. "I'm proud to cosponsor legislation that will require the Trump Administration to update and make government data on extreme weather and natural disasters free and more accessible for the American people. We deserve to know why costs are surging."

Since 1980, NOAA has maintained a database of all weather disasters in the United States totaling at least $1 billion in damage. The Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database is essential in tracking how an exponential increase in climate-driven natural disasters over the last two decades raised costs associated with disaster recovery. The database also helps communities and lawmakers allocate resources before extreme weather events more effectively.

From 1980 to 2024, the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database recorded 403 weather and climate disasters resulting in at least $1 billion in damages. Combined, losses from these events exceed $2.9 trillion.

In 2024, the United States experienced 27 individual weather and climate disasters that caused $1 billion in damage, totaling over $182.7 billion - the fourth-highest year on record behind 2017, 2005, and 2022. In New Mexico, from 2020 to 2024, there were eleven disasters that caused over $1 billion in damage. As the severity, frequency, and cost of natural disasters continue to rise, tracking the type and frequency of extreme weather events is crucial.

In May 2025, the Trump Administration discontinued the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database as part of its efforts to end programs and research related to climate change. Cancelling this publicly available database threatens emergency preparedness, undercuts scientific research, and weakens national and community-level efforts to reduce the cost of disasters.

The Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act will require NOAA to restore and maintain the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database, which collects and publishes information on natural disasters resulting in at least $1 billion in damage each year in the United States.

The legislation is led by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Alongside Heinrich, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The text of the bill is here.

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