SIGN NOW: Trump and Republicans in Congress gutted the agencies meant to protect us during natural disasters. Demand they reverse dangerous cuts to weather forecasting, FEMA, and public safety >>

John, we’re still learning the full scale of the devastation in Texas – where catastrophic flooding has already claimed over 100 lives, many of them young girls, with at least 170 people still missing. [1]

Heartbreakingly, the flooding in Texas comes as we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a storm that exposed the deadly cost of government unpreparedness and neglect. [2]

But right now – instead of preparing us for future disasters – Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s policies will make them worse.

Already, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s response in Texas has been slowed down by Noem’s reckless cost-cutting measures. [3] And whenever he gets the chance, Trump is slashing climate programs, shutting down research, and gutting emergency response – all to bankroll billionaire tax breaks and keep Big Oil happy.

Tell Trump and his cronies: STOP putting corporate profits over people. Reverse these dangerous cuts to FEMA, weather forecasting, and emergency response before more lives are lost. Add your name now >>

SIGN THE PETITION

Experts say that forecasters did everything they could to warn Texans of the flood risk [4]. But those same experts warn us that storms like this are becoming the new normal – and thanks to Trump’s cuts, we’ll be less prepared when the next disaster hits. [5]

In just the past few months, Trump and his administration have:

• Fired over 1,000 employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) – our early warning system for floods and other hazards. [6]

• Cut $150 million from the NOAA’s weather forecasting and public alert systems – at the behest of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. [7]

• Planned to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) entirely – with Noem doubling down even after FEMA has been crucial to recovery efforts in Texas. [8]

• Plotted to shut down the NOAA’s entire weather and climate research division [9] – immobilizing the government’s ability to keep up with emerging climate threats.

• Housed undocumented people in the Florida Everglades during hurricane season in a flood zone, putting their lives at risk. [10]

Why? Because to Trump and Noem, these lifesaving services aren’t worth funding if they don’t make him or other billionaires richer. That’s not how our government is meant to work – let’s demand better, John.

America’s storm preparedness once set the global standard [11] – but now we’re falling dangerously behind, as decades of climate denial fuel hotter oceans, stronger storms, and even bigger disasters.

The horrific news from Texas ought to serve as a reminder: these cuts aren’t just lines on a balance sheet. When our government isn’t prepared for natural disasters, we all pay the price.

Add your name now to demand Trump and Noem reverse these reckless cuts to our emergency services – and restore the vital services that keep our communities safe >>

People are rightfully scared of what this hurricane season will bring. If we don’t immediately change course, more of us will be left vulnerable while billionaires and Big Oil cash in.

This should be a wake-up call for the entire country. We can’t stay silent while MAGA Republicans gamble with our safety and play politics with our lives.

In Common Cause,

Virginia Kase Solomón, President and CEO
and the team at Common Cause

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[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-floods-live-updates-160-missing-rescuers-continue-desperate-sear-rcna217685
[2] https://www.wdsu.com/article/hurricane-katrina-new-orleans-20-years-later/64288947
[3] https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/fema-texas-flood-noem
[4] https://www.wired.com/story/meteorologists-say-the-national-weather-service-did-its-job-in-texas/
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-deadly-floods-could-be-new-normal
[6] https://apnews.com/article/national-weather-service-layoffs-trump-doge-a65360a1eb2500b7d47c9c966e383f4a
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/ted-cruz-trump-weather-forecasting-cuts
[8] https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-emergency-agency-fema-should-be-eliminated-it-exists-today-noem-says-2025-07-09/
[9] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/everglades-migrant-jail-florida-trump
[11] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-disaster-relief-home-and-abroad