They already are; part of the problem is the next-generation NOAA satellites (NPOESS) are very expensive.
Then why are complaining about NASA's budget priorities? If NOAA is funded for weather satellite (expensive or not) then the money should be there. If they are not funded then the program isn't threatened by NASA's budget problems, but rather by NOAAs.
Yeah, I know, as far as the scientists working on the satellite are concerned, they don't care which pot of money they're paid from, so long as the project is funded. The scientists are the one's whining. They need to do what everyone else does when faced with a budget shortfall, find ways to save money or obtain new funding sources.