U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to board Air Force One, after they visited flood-ravaged Kerr County, at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
On Tuesday, July 15, ABC News reported that the death toll from the flooding that ravaged Central Texas over the 4th of July weekend had reached 133.
Many Democrats, following the tragedy, are highly critical of the Trump administration — arguing that draconian cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) will make disasters worse. Criticism is also coming from the Houston Chronicle's editorial board.
In an editorial published on July 14, the board praises Texans who found ways to help the flooding victims but is highly critical of the Trump administration's response.
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"All across the state," the Chronicle board writes, "Texans are stepping up to do what we can to help our neighbors in need…. Judging by recent reporting on the Hill Country floods, however, some officials in Washington are more focused on saving cash than helping Texans recover."
The Chronicle board salutes Texans Nikki Howard and Shauna Howard Russell for using their lemonade stand to raise $1500 for the flooding victims. But the Trump administration, the board argues, dropped the ball.
"First, the New York Times reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency bizarrely laid off workers at its disaster assistance call center just days after the flood," the Chronicle editorial writers explain. "Impacted families, like those who lost a home to the flood, can receive a one-time payment of up to $750 to help with their immediate expenses. This money helps cover meals, hotel stays, clothing, and other needs while recovery teams continue to search through and remove flood debris. But due to budget cuts by Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, the call center contract was dropped and thousands of phone calls went unanswered."
The board adds, "Internal e-mails even show that officials knew they were failing at their task and needed the secretary to extend the call center contracts. 'We still do not have a decision, waiver or signature from the DHS secretary,' one FEMA employee wrote in a July 8 e-mail to colleagues. Leaving disaster victims on hold isn’t governmental efficiency. It's heartless."
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Read the Houston Chronicle's full editorial at this link.