In light of the terrible tsunami that has hit Japan and threatens to reach the United States, it's worth noting that -- as part of their continuing resolution -- the House GOP proposed deep cuts to the National Weather Service, which houses the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center:
A bill in the House of Representatives is proposing to cut the National Weather Service's 2011 budget by reportedly 30 percent or about $126 million. The proposal is part of the Full Year Continuing Resolution Act. [...]
"There is a very heightened risk for loss of life if these cuts go through. The inability for warnings to be disseminated to the public, whether due to staffing inadequacies, radar maintenance problems or weather radio transmitter difficulties, would be disastrous," said Calderone.
At the risk of sounding tasteless, these things are worth pointing out. Spending cuts don't happen in the abstract, and -- in addition to harming the least-well-off -- they affect our ability to conduct needed services, like monitor severe weather. Indeed, without the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, current coverage of the tsunami would be far, far more difficult, and Americans would have a harder time contacting friends and relatives in Japan and other affected areas.
We tend to recoil from policy points during tragedies, especially natural disasters, but -- as Matthew Yglesias noted on Twitter -- now is the time to make these observations. When disasters strike, and we rely on government services for information, we should be noting the extent to which indiscriminate budget cuts would harm our future ability to monitor and account for severe weather.