As the flash flood in Texas turned out to be devastating and deadly, Donald Trump has yet again avoided responsibility for the same and dragged former President Joe Biden into this. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said, “That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup. But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe.”
It should be noted here that the staff shortage at the National Weather Service has been cited as a reason behind the floods getting out of hand. However, when asked about the same, Trump said, “This was the thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it; nobody saw it.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also unsurprisingly supported Trump and said that Democrats are trying to turn a tragedy into a political game. She said on Monday, “Many Democrat elected officials are trying to turn this into a political game; it is not. “I just do think those comments are depraved and despicable, especially when so many Americans are mourning the loss of their children.”
However, despite Leavitt’s apparent sympathy for the families that suffered loss in the floods, the Trump administration’s responsibility behind this massive tragedy cannot be overlooked. The staffing shortage at the National Weather Service Offices has remained a consistent issue and on Monday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to the Commerce Department to urge for an investigation into the same.
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Addressing Roderick Anderson, the acting inspector general, Schumer’s letter urged to “open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding.”
The NWS layoffs had begun in the Spring as employees were offered buyouts and early retirements. As per NBC News, “By the beginning of June, the weather service lost nearly 600 employees” Irish Star reported. NBC News further stated that there were certain NWS officers who experienced staffing shortages that went over 40% with eight offices no longer operating 24 hours a day.
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The outlet also added, “in May, over 40% of America’s weather forecasting offices had staffing vacancy rates above 20%, prompting the former directors of the NWS who were still alive to write a letter of concern.” The letter mentioned, “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. We know that’s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines—and by the people who depend on their efforts.”
As an investigation into the staffing shortage and how it might have led to the poor handling of the flood situation has been called for, it now remains to be seen whether any new information comes to light of if the Trump administration keeps blaming other people and situations for this tragedy.
