Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas While Ignoring the Deadly Cost of His Climate Negligence

Last week’s Texas flooding was one of the deadliest disasters in the state’s history. Republican policies are exacerbating these disasters and further endangering vulnerable communities.

WASHINGTON — Today, Trump visited communities in central Texas ravaged by the recent deadly floods, a climate disaster made worse by his policies—including mass layoffs at weather-monitoring offices, deep cuts to weather forecasting funding, threats to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and continuing to reject the scientific consensus on climate change. As of today, at least 121 people have died, including 36 children, and more than 150 are still missing. 

In response, Antonieta Cádiz, Executive Director for Climate Power En Acción, issued the following statement:

“What we’re seeing in Texas is absolutely devastating, but it is not entirely unpredictable and unavoidable. Despite warnings that cuts to weather offices would cost lives, Trump and Republicans chose to gut weather forecasting funds, eliminate climate protections, weaken disaster response, and block critical community resilience investments, effectively hindering disaster response efforts for these devastating floods in Texas.

“Trump’s visit to these flood-ravaged communities is nothing more than political theater. You cannot campaign on eliminating FEMA, gutting climate disaster response, and rejecting climate change, and then pretend to be a leader in the aftermath of a climate disaster. As extreme weather events like the Texas floods become more frequent, costly, and deadly, Trump and Republicans’ policies are making Americans less safe, and it is communities like the Latino community that are disproportionately at risk. We will not forget this. We will hold Republicans accountable for choosing policies that threaten our people.”