'This is a tough one' Trump says in visit to flood-ravaged Texas
More: 'Filled with grief and devastation' : Trump surveys Texas flood damage. Live updates
Trump said he met with parents who lost children in the flood. "Nobody has any idea how and why a thing like this could happen," he said as he remembered the "young angels" who died while staying at the girls' camp, Camp Mystic.
'Americans' hearts are shattered,' Trump tells community
The president's visit to Texas sought to blunt criticism from Democrats who have alleged the president's cuts to the National Weather Service might have slowed the agency's weather forecasts and flood alerts getting to residents on the morning of July 4, as heavy rain pushed floodwaters from the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Trump said the federal government has deployed more than 400 first responders and enabled 1,500 rescues during the flood.
"The people here - first responders, the sheriff's office, all of the police, law enforcement, they've done an unbelievable job," Trump said.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump surveyed damage near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville that included an overturned tractor, several downed trees and plastic debris as the president received a briefing from Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and local officials.
Wearing a white "USA" cap, Trump nodded his head as he listened to officials. Along the way to the site, residents standing in front of strips malls and at intersections waved as Trump's motorcade rolled by.
"All across the country, Americans' hearts are shattered," Trump said. "All the beautiful souls. We're filled with grief and devastation at the loss of life. And unfortunately, they're still looking. There's a lot of missing children."
Melania Trump offered her "deepest sympathies" to everyone who lost loved ones. "We are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you," she said, pointing to a bracelet she received from the camp in honor of the girl campers who died. "I will be back. I promise."
Trump snaps at reporter who asked about flood alert system
Trump has avoided playing the blame game in response to the flood disaster in Texas, taking a drastically different approach in the Republican-led state compared to Los Angeles' wildfires in January, which he pinned largely on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump last year accused then-President Joe Biden of being slow to respond to Hurricane Helene's devastation in North Carolina.
More: Why are flash floods so deadly? How to stay safe from their shocking power.
"They failed us in North Carolina, but when we got in on Jan. 20, they fixed it up in no time," Trump said of FEMA.
He snapped at a reporter who asked about concerns with the community's flood alert system.
"Only an evil person would ask a question like that," Trump said. "I think this has been heroism ... It's easy to look back and say, 'Oh what could have happened here and there.'"
CNN reported that new cost control rules enforced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem slowed FEMA's response in Texas. DHS has disputed the report. A new DHS policy requires that Noem personally sign off on all contracts of more than $100,000 issued by FEMA and other divisions of her department.
Democrats led by Texas Reps. Greg Casar and Rep. Jasmine Crockett on the House Oversight Committee sent letters Friday seeking "answers" from FEMA, the Department of Commerce Inspector General and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the weather service.
"The tragic loss of life underscores the urgent need to understand what contributed to this disaster and how we can better prepare for future disasters," their letter to NOAA reads. "Rigorous oversight is needed not only to provide answers to grieving communities in Central Texas, but also to save lives in future extreme weather events."
White House says FEMA has enough funds for recovery aid
On his way to Texas on Air Force One, Trump was joined by Abbott and the state's two Republican U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, whose congressional district is near Houston, not the flooded area, also joined the president. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, joined the president at the roundtable.
At one point, Trump gave the microphone to television personality and loyal supporter Dr. Phil, who had a seat at the table.
The White House's budget chief told reporters earlier Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency has the funding to assist in flood recovery efforts even as the Trump administration has talked about eliminating FEMA.
Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said FEMA has about $13 billion in its reserves to pay for necessary expenses in Texas.
"The president has said to Texas, anything it needs it will get," Vought said, adding that, "We also want FEMA to be reformed. We want FEMA to work well ... The president is going to continue to be asking tough questions of all of his agencies."
Earlier this week, Noem continued her call for FEMA to be "eliminated as it exists today" to put more control in the hands of local and state authorities. Her push comes as FEMA has deployed hundreds of specialists and distributed supplies to the flooded areas in Texas.
Noem called the flood an "unprecedented event" a she joined Trump in Texas, adding that she's never heard of a flood that "happened like this before."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
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