Rep. Neguse Calls For Inspector General Investigation Into OMB, National Science Foundation & Allegations of Potential Sale of NCAR to For-Profit Corporation

Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse wrote to the Inspector General of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and demanded an independent investigation into allegations of potential conflicts of interest and regulatory improprieties related to the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. 

According to new allegations reported by a whistleblower to Rep. Neguse’s office, there have been troubling reports that one or more Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials allegedly proposed or negotiated an arrangement whereby components of NCAR’s space weather program would be transferred to a private, for-profit company. 

If credible, this misconduct conflicts with the NSF’s public comment period, which runs through March 13, 2026, and is intended to allow public feedback on proposed actions. It would also violate clear statutory limits, as neither OMB nor NSF has the authority to unilaterally dissolve or sell federal programs.

Rep. Neguse disclosed that the whistleblower information was purportedly confirmed by an individual employed by the private, for-profit company in question.

Read the full letter HERE and below: 

The Honorable Megan Wallace

Office of the Inspector General

National Science Foundation

2415 Eisenhower Avenue

Alexandria, VA  22314

Dear Inspector General Wallace,

I write to alert you of allegations of potential conflicts of interest and regulatory improprieties that our office has received concerning the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) January 23, 2026 Dear Colleague Letter entitled “NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure” and the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The report outlined below raises questions about whether the Department of Commerce (the Department), the NSF, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have engaged in any improper activity connected to the matters referenced above, which I believe must be independently investigated immediately.

In short, my office has received a troubling report that one or more OMB officials allegedly proposed and/or negotiated — before the NSF DCL process had concluded — an arrangement whereby components of NCAR’s space weather program would be transferred to a specific private, for-profit company. According to the report, the allegation was purportedly confirmed by an individual employed by the same for-profit company during a recent meeting of the American Meteorological Society in Houston in January of this year.

As our office understands it, neither the OMB nor the NSF have clear legal or statutory authority to unilaterally dissolve or sell Federal programs. Moreover, the PRO-SWIFT Act (Public Law 116–181) specifically directs the NSF, along with other federal agencies, to “continue to carry out basic research on heliophysics, geospace science, and space weather” (Section 60604 (a)). While Public Law 116–181 encourages collaboration between the Federal government and the commercial space weather sector, the law makes clear that this research must be conducted by Federal research agencies. It is not within the OMB’s authority to undercut Federal law and sell-off space weather programs to private companies.

The report of misconduct described above further includes allegations that the NSF DCL is simply a political ploy to feign proper conduct, and that the OMB has already determined that NCAR’s space weather program will be transferred to the aforementioned for-profit company and that NCAR’s NWSC supercomputing facility will be transferred to the University of Wyoming. The latter allegation, in fact, is further supported by an NSF news release issued on February 12, 2026 entitled “Transitioning NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center operations.”

The federal DCL process is not a mechanism for reaching pre-determined outcomes nor for selling or awarding federal programs to private companies, and it cannot be used to bypass the law and hand federal programs to preferred private companies without undergoing competitive merit-review processes. In this instance, if allegations of a predetermined transfer or selloff were proven to be true, it would clearly violate the spirit and letter of the “Dear Colleague" process and likely violate Federal law. Therefore, it is vitally important that your office investigate the same.

I remain deeply concerned about any attempts to improperly transfer public assets to private companies. As the independent oversight office for the National Science Foundation, I believe it is your duty to investigate the allegations detailed herein and to put an immediate end to any such activity. Thank you for your full and fair consideration of this matter, consistent with applicable statute and agency guidelines.

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