The White Home and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz defended the Nationwide Climate Service and accused some Democrats of taking part in politics within the wake of devastating floods in Texas.
“I believe this isn’t a time for partisan finger-pointing and assaults,” Cruz stated at a information convention with native officers in Kerr County on Monday morning.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt later started her briefing on the offensive, calling out those that’ve questioned whether or not federal cuts to the NWS impacted staffing ranges or forecasting talents because the tragedy unfolded.
“Sadly, within the wake of this as soon as in a era pure catastrophe, we’ve seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats reminiscent of Senator Chuck Schumer and a few members of the media,” Leavitt stated. “Blaming President Trump for these floods is a wicked lie, and it serves no function throughout this time of nationwide mourning.”
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks through the each day briefing within the Brady Briefing Room of the White Home in Washington, July 7, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Schumer, the Senate’s prime Democrat, on Monday known as for an investigation into whether or not cuts made to NWS within the administration had any correlation to the extent of devastation.
“Following the disastrous and deeply devastating flash flooding in Texas this weekend, I write to induce you to instantly to open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether or not staffing shortages at key native Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic lack of life and property through the lethal flooding,” Schumer wrote in a letter despatched to Commerce Division Performing Inspector Basic Roderick Anderson.
Officers stated at the very least 104 folks, together with greater than two dozen kids, are useless after heavy rain led to flash flooding in Texas.
The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration instructed ABC Information that NWS deliberate for additional staffing on the NWS Austin/San Antonio native workplace forward of the occasion. The native workplace had 5 NWS workers working in comparison with the 2 that might usually be scheduled.
In a press release to ABC Information, the NWS highlighted that they gave briefings to emergency administration the day earlier than the tragic occasion and talked about some alert lead instances.
“The Nationwide Climate Service is heartbroken by the tragic lack of life in Kerr County. On July 3, the NWS workplace in Austin/San Antonio, TX carried out forecast briefings for emergency administration within the morning and issued a Flood Watch within the early afternoon. Flash Flood Warnings had been issued on the night time of July 3 and within the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead instances of greater than three hours earlier than warning standards had been met. The Nationwide Climate Service stays dedicated to our mission to serve the American public by way of our forecasts and determination help companies,” the NWS stated.
Leavitt, from the rostrum on Monday, ran by way of the particular timeline of alerts despatched by the NWS and emphasised the additional workers in place on the NWS Austin/San Antonio workplace.
She famous the workplace issued a flood watch at 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, July 3. Then, a flash flood warning was issued for Bandera and Kerr counties at 1:14 a.m. on Friday, July 4 that was upgraded with extra severe warnings at 3:35 a.m..
“So, to any one that has intentionally lied about these info surrounding this catastrophic occasion, you ought to be deeply ashamed,” she stated.
Leavitt was requested on Monday why the warnings had been despatched at a time when folks had been doubtless asleep and what, if something, the administration is doing to make sure that these alerts come out sooner sooner or later.
“This was an act of God, it isn’t the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did however there have been early and constant warnings,” Leavitt stated. “And once more, the Nationwide Climate Service did its job.”
Cruz, on the native information convention in Texas, pushed again on NWS claims however stated there can be a “interval of retrospection” after the rapid restoration efforts to research what occurred and what went flawed.
“Within the wake of each tragedy, there are issues which can be predictable,” Cruz stated. “One of many issues that is predictable is to see some folks participating in, I believe, partisan video games, and attempting accountable their political opponents for a pure catastrophe. And also you see that with a hurricane, with a twister, with a wildfire, with this flooding, the place folks instantly say, ‘Properly, the hurricane is Donald Trump’s fault.’ I believe most conventional Individuals know that is ridiculous, and I believe this isn’t a time for partisan finger pointing and assaults.”
“Now, after we come by way of search and rescue, after we come by way of the method of rebuilding, there’ll naturally be a interval of retrospection the place you look again and say, ‘Okay, what precisely transpired, what was the timeline, and what may have been accomplished otherwise to forestall this lack of life?’ And that is a pure course of,” Cruz added. “I believe it shouldn’t occur in a bitter and partisan sense, however it ought to occur in an inexpensive sense of claiming, what classes can we be taught?”
Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a Kerr County, Texas press convention, July 7, 2025.
ABC Information
President Trump continues to be planning on visiting Texas on Friday, the White Home stated, although plans are usually not but finalized.
Trump was requested about NWS on Sunday if he was going to analyze whether or not cuts at NWS left key positions vacant.
“No, no. They did not,” Trump stated.
Trump then tried to pin blame on former President Joe Biden, his Oval Workplace predecessor, earlier than strolling the remark again.
“I will inform you: When you take a look at that — what a scenario that each one is. That was actually the Biden setup. That was not our setup. However I would not blame Biden for it both. I might simply say it is a hundred-year disaster, and it is simply so horrible to look at,” Trump stated.
ABC Information’ Mariam Khan and Matthew Glasser contributed to this report.
