WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Sen. Ted Budd issued the following press release:

U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, secured two of his bills as provisions in the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026, which was unanimously passed out of committee last week. The two Budd-led provisions include the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program and the Radar Next Program.

"For well over a year, I have worked with local, state, and federal officials to coordinate recovery efforts for Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. Through my efforts, I have identified significant gaps in our weather system that must be addressed to ensure future storms...