Latest news with #LloydDoggett
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Democrats call for 'urgent review‘ of deadly Texas flooding
Three House Democrats sent a letter to President Trump and two officials involved in weather infrastructure Friday expressing concerns about the government's preparedness for future flood disasters and extreme weather events. 'This tragedy echoes a troubling national pattern of accelerating flash flood disasters that have claimed lives: 46 lives in the greater New York City area in September 2021, 345 lives in Kentucky in July 2022, 20 lives in Tennessee in August 2021, and 250 lives across the Southeast in September 2024,' Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) and Eric Sorensen (Ill.) wrote. 'These events are not anomalies—they are harbingers of a climate-disrupted future,' they added. Doggett represents a district centered around Austin, a couple of hours from Kerr County, the epicenter of the floods. Sorensen is a meteorologist. The lawmakers expressed concern about whether the Department of Government Efficiency-driven staff reductions at the National Weather Service delayed warnings about the Texas floods, which have claimed at least 120 lives. The New York Times reported the vacancies may have complicated efforts to coordinate with local officials and that some of the unfilled positions predate the Trump administration. The letter was addressed to Trump alongside Army Corps of Engineers Gen. William Graham Jr. and acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Laura Grimm. The lawmakers also asked NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers to detail how they planned to adapt federal weather services to what they called 'the growing frequency of extreme precipitation events attributable to climate change.' The joint message follows another letter from Doggett on Tuesday asking NOAA about the impact of staffing shortages. Trump visited Texas on Friday to assess damage from the flooding. At least 160 people remain missing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Democrats call for urgent review of deadly Texas flooding as Trump tours disaster zone
House Democrats addressed a letter to President Donald Trump and weather infrastructure officials on Friday, expressing 'deep concern' about the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, and the 'structural shortcomings at the federal, state, and local levels that contributed to the tragic loss of life.' It comes as Trump toured disaster areas alongside local officials on Friday. Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, and Eric Sorenson of Illinois wrote to the president and Laura Grimm, who is performing the duties of the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., the Chief of Engineers. 'This tragedy echoes a troubling national pattern of accelerating flash flood disasters that have claimed lives,' the members of Congress wrote, noting the 46 killed in New York in September 2021, the 45 who died in July 2022, the 20 killed in Tennessee in August 2021, and the 250 who died across the Southeast in September of last year. 'These events are not anomalies—they are harbingers of a climate-disrupted future,' they stated. Doggett represents a district in the Austin, Texas area, hours from the flood epicenter in Kerr County. Sorensen is a meteorologist. They shared concerns that cuts mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency to the National Weather Service had delayed warnings regarding the floods in Texas. At least 121 people have died, and more than 160 remain missing. 'While the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast may have been accurate, accurate weather forecasts are not enough,' the House Democrats wrote. 'It is imperative that these warnings are adequately communicated to members of the public and in a way that prompts the appropriate lifesaving action by emergency managers, first responders, and the public at-large. We are concerned that there seems to have been a breakdown at this stage starting with the first flash flood watches issued on Thursday afternoon.' The lawmakers noted the NWS has lost almost 15 percent of its nationwide staff since January. 'The forecast accuracy and timeliness during this event in Texas was a testament to the dedication of the local NWS staff who flexed their schedules to ensure adequate coverage during such a high-impact event,' they wrote. 'That is not a sustainable solution, nor is it reliable enough for the increasing incidence of dangerous weather events.' The vacancies may have complicated efforts to work with officials on the local levels, The New York Times has reported. Some of the unfilled positions stem from before Trump's second term. The legislators called on NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers to outline plans to adapt federal weather services to what they referred to as 'the growing frequency of extreme precipitation events attributable to climate change.' Trump visited Kerrville on Friday, meeting with Texas officials, as he toured the damage from last week's deadly flash floods. Alongside First Lady Melania Trump, the president shook hands with first responders. More than two dozen girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp died in the floods. Trump took part in an aerial tour of the Guadalupe River along with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and other officials. Trump visited the state as Texas lawmakers are facing increasing scrutiny over the handling of the floods and the state's warning systems. The president took part in a roundtable discussion with local officials, comparing the death toll and devastation to previous natural disasters he has seen during his time in office. 'I've never seen anything like it,' said Trump. 'A little narrow river that becomes a monster.' He went on to note that 'dozens and dozens of precious children' had been 'taken from us.' Phil McGraw, the TV personality known as Dr. Phil, took part in the discussion, saying, "We know psychologically that the number one stressor that we can experience in life is the loss of a child.' "And the worst situation that we can experience is when it's sudden and when it's violent. That's the worst thing that can happen, stress-wise, in life,' he added. It was unclear why the TV personality attended the roundtable. Federal Emergency Management Agency Acting Administrator David Richardson has been absent during the federal response to the floods in Texas, and he was not present for the discussion. The Trump administration has pushed back against the criticism that its previous cuts led to a slower response amid growing pushback against the administration's previous calls to eliminate FEMA. A White House official told NewsNation on Friday that a FEMA review council is planning to 'reform' the agency, rather than closing it down. 'While Federal assistance was always intended to supplement state actions, not replace those actions, FEMA's outsized role created a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the outlet.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Democrats call for urgent review of deadly Texas flooding as Trump tours disaster zone
House Democrats addressed a letter to President Donald Trump and weather infrastructure officials on Friday, expressing 'deep concern' about the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, and the 'structural shortcomings at the federal, state, and local levels that contributed to the tragic loss of life.' It comes as Trump toured disaster areas alongside local officials on Friday. Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, and Eric Sorenson of Illinois wrote to the president and Laura Grimm, who is performing the duties of the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., the Chief of Engineers. 'This tragedy echoes a troubling national pattern of accelerating flash flood disasters that have claimed lives,' the members of Congress wrote, noting the 46 killed in New York in September 2021, the 45 who died in July 2022, the 20 killed in Tennessee in August 2021, and the 250 who died across the Southeast in September of last year. 'These events are not anomalies—they are harbingers of a climate-disrupted future,' they stated. Doggett represents a district in the Austin, Texas area, hours from the flood epicenter in Kerr County. Sorensen is a meteorologist. They shared concerns that cuts mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency to the National Weather Service had delayed warnings regarding the floods in Texas. At least 121 people have died, and more than 160 remain missing. 'While the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast may have been accurate, accurate weather forecasts are not enough,' the House Democrats wrote. 'It is imperative that these warnings are adequately communicated to members of the public and in a way that prompts the appropriate lifesaving action by emergency managers, first responders, and the public at-large. We are concerned that there seems to have been a breakdown at this stage starting with the first flash flood watches issued on Thursday afternoon.' The lawmakers noted the NWS has lost almost 15 percent of its nationwide staff since January. 'The forecast accuracy and timeliness during this event in Texas was a testament to the dedication of the local NWS staff who flexed their schedules to ensure adequate coverage during such a high-impact event,' they wrote. 'That is not a sustainable solution, nor is it reliable enough for the increasing incidence of dangerous weather events.' The vacancies may have complicated efforts to work with officials on the local levels, The New York Times has reported. Some of the unfilled positions stem from before Trump's second term. The legislators called on NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers to outline plans to adapt federal weather services to what they referred to as 'the growing frequency of extreme precipitation events attributable to climate change.' Trump visited Kerrville on Friday, meeting with Texas officials, as he toured the damage from last week's deadly flash floods. Alongside First Lady Melania Trump, the president shook hands with first responders. More than two dozen girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp died in the floods. Trump took part in an aerial tour of the Guadalupe River along with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and other officials. Trump visited the state as Texas lawmakers are facing increasing scrutiny over the handling of the floods and the state's warning systems. The president took part in a roundtable discussion with local officials, comparing the death toll and devastation to previous natural disasters he has seen during his time in office. 'I've never seen anything like it,' said Trump. 'A little narrow river that becomes a monster.' He went on to note that 'dozens and dozens of precious children' had been 'taken from us.' Phil McGraw, the TV personality known as Dr. Phil, took part in the discussion, saying, "We know psychologically that the number one stressor that we can experience in life is the loss of a child.' "And the worst situation that we can experience is when it's sudden and when it's violent. That's the worst thing that can happen, stress-wise, in life,' he added. It was unclear why the TV personality attended the roundtable. Federal Emergency Management Agency Acting Administrator David Richardson has been absent during the federal response to the floods in Texas, and he was not present for the discussion. The Trump administration has pushed back against the criticism that its previous cuts led to a slower response amid growing pushback against the administration's previous calls to eliminate FEMA. A White House official told NewsNation on Friday that a FEMA review council is planning to 'reform' the agency, rather than closing it down. 'While Federal assistance was always intended to supplement state actions, not replace those actions, FEMA's outsized role created a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the outlet.
The Hill
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrats call for 'urgent review‘ of deadly Texas flooding
Three House Democrats sent a letter to President Trump and two officials involved in weather infrastructure Friday expressing concerns about the government's preparedness for future flood disasters and extreme weather events. 'This tragedy echoes a troubling national pattern of accelerating flash flood disasters that have claimed lives: 46 lives in the greater New York City area in September 2021, 345 lives in Kentucky in July 2022, 20 lives in Tennessee in August 2021, and 250 lives across the Southeast in September 2024,' the lawmakers, Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), and Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), wrote. 'These events are not anomalies—they are harbingers of a climate-disrupted future,' they added. Doggett represents a district centered around Austin, a couple hours' drive from Kerr County, the epicenter of the floods. Sorensen is a meteorologist. The lawmakers expressed concern about whether the Department of Government Efficiency-driven staff reductions at the National Weather Service delayed warnings about the Texas floods, which have claimed at least 120 lives. The New York Times reported that the vacancies may have complicated efforts to coordinate with local officials, and that some of the unfilled positions predate the Trump administration. The letter was addressed to Trump alongside Army Corps of Engineers General William Graham Jr. and acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator Laura Grimm. The lawmakers also asked the NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers to detail how they planned to adapt federal weather services to what they called 'the growing frequency of extreme precipitation events attributable to climate change.' The joint message follows another letter from Doggett on Tuesday asking the NOAA about the impact of staffing shortages. Trump visited Texas on Friday to assess damage from the flooding. At least 160 people remain missing.
CNN
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Texas Representative hits back at Governor Abbott's comments: ‘This is not a game'
Texas Congressman hits back at Governor Abbott's comments: 'This is not a game' Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) pushed back against a football analogy made by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, saying the catastrophic flooding in the state and the region's response to the disaster is 'not a game.' 00:38 - Source: CNN Vertical Politics of the Day 14 videos Texas Congressman hits back at Governor Abbott's comments: 'This is not a game' Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) pushed back against a football analogy made by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, saying the catastrophic flooding in the state and the region's response to the disaster is 'not a game.' 00:38 - Source: CNN Trump told donors he threatened to bomb Moscow on Putin call Donald Trump told a private gathering of donors last year that he once sought to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine by threatening to 'bomb the sh*t out of Moscow' in retaliation, according to audio provided to CNN. The audio was obtained by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf, who detailed some of the exchanges in their new book, '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.' The Trump campaign declined to comment on the content of the tapes. 01:36 - Source: CNN Texas Gov. says 'losers' blame others for flood response Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used a football analogy after being asked about the emergency response to the catastrophic flooding that killed more than a 100 people in the state. 00:32 - Source: CNN Kaitlan Collins presses Trump on who paused Ukraine weapons President Trump's approval of sending defensive weapons to Ukraine amounted to a turnaround after a senior White House official told CNN last week that the administration was pausing some of those shipments. CNN's Kaitlan Collins questioned the President about the pause. 00:28 - Source: CNN Mexicans protest immigrants from US Residents of Mexico City are protesting against gentrification that is forcing some people out, and they partially blame the United States. More than 1.6 million US citizens already reside in Mexico, according to the US State department. 01:30 - Source: CNN Trump vents his anger about Putin during Cabinet meeting During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump expressed his frustration with Vladimir Putin. 'We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin,' Trump said. The remark showed Trump's frustrations at Moscow, which has shown no willingness to end its war in Ukraine. 00:30 - Source: CNN Why Ex-NOAA chief thinks DOGE cuts may have hurt flood response Rick Spinrad, a former NOAA Administrator, explains why he believes the government staffing cuts implemented by the Trump administration may have hindered the response to the devastating floods in Texas. 00:52 - Source: CNN Justice Department says there's no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had 'client list' After months of touting the impending release of new, blockbuster information on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Justice Department announced in a memo that there is no evidence he kept a 'client list' or was murdered. 01:12 - Source: CNN Immigration enforcement swarms LA park Dozens of federal immigration agents in tactical gear accompanied by members of the California National Guard were deployed Monday to a mostly empty MacArthur Park in Los Angeles Monday morning. It's unclear if anyone was taken into custody during the operation, which sparked outrage among local residents and which Mayor Karen Bass called 'outrageous' and 'an attempt to spread fear.' An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told CNN the agency does not comment on ongoing operations. 01:07 - Source: CNN Which countries received a Trump tariff letter? 00:56 - Source: CNN Musk says he's forming new political party Billionaire Elon Musk says he is forming a third political party, following his dramatic falling out with President Donald Trump. CNN's Hadas Gold breaks down Musk's plan and the challenges involved. 01:22 - Source: CNN Trump uses antisemitic term at rally President Donald Trump used a term considered antisemitic at a rally on Thursday night while talking about his major domestic policy bill that was approved by Congress hours earlier. 00:49 - Source: CNN Trump signs 'Big Beautiful Bill' President Donald Trump signs a sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," at the White House. 00:38 - Source: CNN How Trump's 'Garden of Heroes' could get made President Donald Trump hopes to create a new national monument called the "National Garden of American Heroes" that would include 250 statues and be unveiled in one year. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty talks to Monumental Labs, a high-tech marble fabricator just outside New York City, about the challenges of making Trump's vision a reality. 02:05 - Source: CNN
