An alarming new report from the Washington Post claims that President Donald Trump plans to do something that is certain to make many influential people furious: he’s going to slash the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Post obtained a budget memo that suggests the White House wants to cut 17 percent from the agency’s funding.

That would mean NOAA would have $126 million less in research funding, and $513 million less in its satellite division account. The Office of Management and Budget also reached out to the Commerce Department to inquire about how much it would cost to lay off employees.

Why is Trump doing this? It appears from the memo that the president wants to “prioritize rebuilding the military” at the expense of other agencies.

“NOAA’s research and operations, including satellite data management, support critical safety needs. A reduced investment now would virtually guarantee jeopardizing the safety of the American public,” said Rick Spinrad, who was a chief scientist at the agency, in an interview with the Post.

NOAA describes itself as follows: “The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) – or “NOAA Research” – provides the research foundation for understanding the complex systems that support our planet. Working in partnership with other organizational units of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a bureau of the Department of Commerce, NOAA Research enables better forecasts, earlier warnings for natural disasters, and a greater understanding of the Earth. Our role is to provide unbiased science to better manage the environment, nationally, and globally.”