Kristi Noem fires back as Democrats blame Trump's DOGE cuts for deadly Texas floods
Democrats quickly blamed President Donald Trump for crippling a critical agency tasked with alerting Americans to impending natural disasters because of his recent government slashing efforts.
DOGE, the Trump administration's cost-cutting effort previously headed by Elon Musk, had been pushing the federal National Weather Service (NWS) to cut jobs.
The agency was part of the government-wide Trump administration effort to allow employees the option to retire early with a 'buyout' rather than face potential dismissal.
However, it's unclear how many NWS employees took the buyout and it doesn't appear that it would have impacted the alert system in particular.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was tasked by Trump to assess the damage in Texas over the weekend, fired back at criticisms from Democrats.
'When I got there on Saturday [the] number one question we got asked was, "We were notified, but we only had a couple hours of notice before this flash flood came. Was the National Weather Service proactive? What was the process that was followed?"' Noem said on Fox and Friends.
She fiercely defended the agency saying it sent notifications and 'gave as much time as they could with the tools that they have.'
'We actually had staff on the ground - that was more than would have been in the past because of the holiday vacation,' Noem added.
She went on to say that the NWS under Trump is getting a major overhaul after being 'neglected' for years.
The agency is operating on an 'ancient system that needed to be upgraded' and the 'new technology' will be installed soon, she promised.
'That installation is not complete and that technology is not fully installed. But, the alerts went out,' Noem concluded.
Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday asked a government watchdog to investigate whether any cuts at the NWS affected the forecasting agency's response to catastrophic flooding in Central Texas.
Schumer is looking into whether staffing vacancies at the NWS's San Antonio office in particular contributed to 'delays, gaps, or diminished accuracy' in forecasting the flooding.
He is specifically scrutinizing the local office's communications with Kerr County officials.
The NWS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schumer's letter.
The agency has defended its forecasting and emergency management as the floods ravaged the area.
Texas officials have also criticized the NWS after the catastrophic flood, arguing it failed to warn the public about impending danger.
A top three leadership role at the NWS's San Antonio office has been vacant since earlier this year after Paul Yura, the U.S. forecasting agency's warning coordination meteorologist, opens new tab for San Antonio, accepted an offer from the Trump administration to retire.
Yura's role was to build relationships with local emergency managers and officials, with the goal of building trust in the community before disaster strikes.
The NWS's San Antonio office is responsible for forecasting the area's weather, collecting climate data and warning the public about dangerous conditions.
The office issued multiple alerts Thursday afternoon and Friday morning about flash flood risks, according to local meteorologists.
'Even though those messages were issued, it does not mean it got to the people who needed them,' said Erik Nielsen, who studies extreme rain at Texas A&M University.
The death toll from the catastrophic floods reached at least 78 on Sunday, including at least 28 children. It is not clear whether the vacancy contributed to NWS's forecasting and alerts.
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