Ranking Member Thompson Statement on the Federal Response to the Texas Floods
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on Federal response to the floods in Texas and what the Trump administration must do:
“Our thoughts continue to be with the people of Texas as they continue to respond to this weekend’s tragic floods and begin to rebuild.
“As we begin investigating how this happened and what went wrong, this administration cannot pretend that disasters like this are happening in a vacuum. They cannot ignore the fact that natural disasters are becoming more severe and more frequent due to climate change. The Federal government – as well as state and local governments – all have a role to play. We must also determine if any budget cuts or staffing shortages at the Federal level – of any kind – made matters worse. This is not playing politics, this is determining what went wrong and preventing it from happening again. In fact, pretending nothing went wrong, or blaming parties clearly not involved, is an insult to the victims.
“The Federal government must have the proper tools in place to prepare for and respond to disasters, and states must have access to these tools and the relevant data. The President threatening to eliminate FEMA, firing scientists, and muzzling experts helps no one and puts us all in danger. He needs to do better and provide actual leadership.
“He can start by finally nominating a FEMA administrator – someone qualified and experienced – to run the agency. He must call off plans to eliminate and phase out FEMA. He must ensure that FEMA is fully staffed and reverse any brainless DOGE staffing cuts. He must immediately release funding for the Department of Homeland Security grants which help prepare communities for disasters and emergencies, including the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants. He must restore funding and staffing to the Federal agencies that support disaster response, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, which work with FEMA to track and share data on extreme weather.
“FEMA must also brief Congress on its response to the Texas floods. People want information, not self-congratulations. Additionally, I call on the Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green to immediately convene a hearing to assess FEMA’s readiness to respond to disasters.”
Background:
Committee Democrats held a joint event last week with the the Congressional Disaster Equity and Building Resilience Caucus on Trump's plan to eliminate FEMA and the consequences.
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