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In January, Trump deployed Elon Musk and DOGE to rampage through federal agencies. They pressed for mass retirements and took particular aim at any agency that touched on climate change including the National Weather Service. Now, with the death toll from Texas floods over 100 — many of them children — we may be witnessing how deadly the consequences of these reckless actions are. We’re calling on the Congressional Oversight Committee to investigate the impact of Trump staffing cuts on the devastating loss of life in Texas — send your message. Flash floods are not new to Texas, but their intensity is increasing with climate change, as is that of other events like hurricanes and wildfires. Climate change and extreme weather are the biggest threat to our food, water, and communities, yet Trump and his allies in Congress have chosen to ignore this reality, promoting fossil fuels over renewable energy and taking aim at the agencies that provide warnings and responses to disasters like the National Weather Service and FEMA. But cuts to vital agencies can have very real consequences. Trump’s efforts to dismantle the federal government through DOGE resulted in many vacant positions at the National Weather Service, including in Texas. Notably, a key warning coordinator meteorologist position in the regional office was vacant after the person in that role was encouraged by the Trump Administration to retire early,* along with thousands of other federal employees. As a whole, the National Weather Service is down 600 staff from its peak of 4000. It is unclear the extent to which DOGE cuts and early retirements impacted warnings about the flood and how they were delivered. But understanding how the flood resulted in the loss of so many lives is critical to making sure it doesn’t happen again. Tell Congress: We need an investigation into the impact of the cuts to the National Weather Service on early warning and evacuation efforts.
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