Neil Jacobs, tapped to lead NOAA, called for sharper forecasting tools and clearer public alerts, just days after flooding in Texas left more than 100 dead.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency that oversees weather told senators at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that a proposal to cut more than a quarter of the agency’s budget wouldn’t jeopardize its ability to predict severe events like wildfires in the Northwest or the recent deadly flooding in Texas.

President Donald Trump nominated Neil Jacobs Jr. to lead the NOAA. His Senate confirmation hearing focused on the deaths of more than 100 people in storms across the country.

President Donald Trump's pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called staffing NOAA weather offices a "top priority" — but also supported propose budget cuts at the agency.

During a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing yesterday, Neil Jacobs, Trump nominee to be the administrator for NOAA, remarks that "human influence is certainly there" when evaluating climate change and its effects on the planet.

President Trump's nominee to lead the agency that includes the National Weather Service said Wednesday it did a "great job" in Texas, but sees ways to improve forecasting technology and communicating hazards to the public.