On January 3, 2019, the Washington Post reported that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prevented hundreds of scientists from attending the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Arizona from January 6 to 10, brings together leading experts in the atmospheric sciences to discuss climate change and related topics. Last year, NOAA sent over 400 scientists to the meeting, and a similar number were expected to participate this year. However, on January 3, participating scientists received an email stating:
“NOAA has determined that due to the lapse in appropriations, NOAA will not be able to participate in the AMS; all official NOAA travel to the AMS is canceled.”
Several of the NOAA scientists were scheduled to lead scientific sessions and town halls, many of which have had to be cancelled.