Latest news with #centralTexas
Washington Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
FEMA chief rejects criticism, calls Texas floods response 'a model' for dealing with disaster
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing back on criticisms of the federal response to the central Texas floods that killed at least 136 people earlier this month . 'I can't see anything we did wrong,' David Richardson told a House panel of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday. He called the relationship between state and federal agencies 'a model for how disasters should be handled.' Lawmakers used the hearing about improvements to FEMA disaster response to address reports that FEMA support was impaired by bureaucratic delays that slowed the deployment of urban search and rescue teams and left the agency's call centers unstaffed, which Richardson denied. The response 'brought the maximum amount of capability to bear in Texas at the right time and the right place,' he said. Richardson's appearance came after a wave of criticism and fallout over the response, including the resignation Monday of FEMA's urban search and rescue leader. President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have touted the robust federal support for Texas despite their past support for eliminating FEMA . The acting administrator denied reports that FEMA urban search-and-rescue teams were delayed over 72 hours because of a new rule imposed by Noem that she must personally approve any contract of $100,000 or more. Richardson said a Texas-based FEMA task force was on the ground on July 4, along with other Homeland Security assets like the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, and that additional support came within '24 hours' of being requested. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., pushed back on FEMA's readiness, asking why more of the 28 FEMA urban search-and-rescue teams located around the country were not on standby ahead of receiving a request from the state of Texas. 'It haunts me that we could have had more urban search and rescue pre-positioned in place,' said Stanton. 'That was a choice.' The leader of FEMA's urban search-and-rescue effort, Ken Pagurek, expressed frustration with the delays to colleagues before resigning Monday, according to CNN. In response to Pagurek's resignation, a DHS spokesperson told The Associated Press, 'It is laughable that a career public employee, who claims to serve the American people, would choose to resign over our refusal to hastily approve a six-figure deployment contract without basic financial oversight.' The Texas Division of Emergency Management did not respond to a request for comment on whether search-and-rescue efforts were impacted by delayed deployment of the FEMA teams. Richardson also denied a report from The New York Times that 84% of calls to FEMA went unanswered on July 7, three days after the July 4 floods, because Noem let lapse contract renewals with outside call centers. The contracts were renewed July 10, according to The Times. 'The vast majority of phone calls were answered. There was never a lapse in the contract,' said Richardson, echoing Noem's statements that the report was 'fake news.' Richardson defended his absence from the ground efforts in Texas, saying he worked from Washington, D.C., 'to kick down the doors of bureaucracy' and denying suggestions that Trump or Noem told him to stand down. He did not visit Texas until July 12. Since the Texas floods, Trump has deflected questions about FEMA's fate. In June, he said he wanted to begin 'phasing out' FEMA after the hurricane season 'to wean off of FEMA and bring it to the state level.' Trump has been criticized for delaying decisions on disaster declaration requests , causing some states to wait as long as two months for approval to receive assistance to repair public infrastructure or help survivors. Lawmakers pressed Richardson on more general issues of FEMA reform as well, including concerns over long overdue preparedness grant funding, flood insurance and rules about how much financial assistance survivors can receive. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers asked about the fate of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which Trump canceled earlier this year. The grants supplied hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster mitigation funding. Twenty states are now suing the administration over the loss of funds. On Tuesday, Trump approved disaster declaration requests for Michigan, Oregon, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, Missouri and New Mexico and expanded assistance in Kentucky. Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., asked Richardson why it took a month for his state to get a disaster declaration. 'My constituents were frustrated by how long it takes to get temporary housing and debris removal assistance,' Onder said. Richardson referred back to Texas' declaration request: 'We turned that around within just a couple hours.' A Trump-appointed FEMA review council is in the process of crafting recommendations to the president on changes to the agency. Noem, who co-chairs the council, told its members five days after the Texas floods that FEMA 'needs to be eliminated as it exists today and remade as a responsive agency.' Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said he and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., would introduce the bipartisan Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act this week, which would make FEMA an independent, Cabinet-level agency, incentivize states to prioritize resilience and improve aid for survivors. 'We don't need to wait for a FEMA review council,' said Larsen. 'We've been reviewing FEMA for a long time.'
Wall Street Journal
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Wall Street Journal
Texas Official Blames Forecasts for Delayed Floods Response
A Texas emergency management official said forecasts didn't reveal the magnitude of the coming floods that killed more 130 people and devastated a girls camp in the central part of the state earlier this month. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said at a state legislative hearing Wednesday that forecast models predicted just a few inches of rain over the Fourth of July weekend. Instead, as much as 18 inches of rain unleashed devastating floods.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Republicans might redraw Congressional maps. Democrats plan to strike back
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's recent decision to consider redrawing his state's congressional districts mid-decade, which could eke out more seats for the Republican Party, has prompted Democrats to issue new threats to draw Republicans out of seats in blue states. Redistricting plans are expected during an upcoming special session, which will begin on July 21, interspersed into an agenda focused on flood preparation and relief after major flooding in central Texas. The special session can only last a maximum of 30 days. The Republican-controlled state legislature drew the current map in 2021, which was set to remain in effect until 2031. President Donald Trump's political operation floated the prospect last month, in efforts to shore up the GOP's fragile House majority, to tepid responses from the state's Congressional delegation. Yet, just this week, Trump rubber-stamped the effort, and wants his party to pick up five seats if Texas redraws its Congressional maps. He suggested that there "could be" other states that follow suit. He did not specify which states. MORE: White House, Texas Republicans weigh redistricting to protect GOP House majority State Republicans have some prior precedent of shifting things around— in 2003, Texas Republicans attempted to tweak their districts mid-cycle. In trying to thwart the effort, around 50 Democrats at the time fled to neighboring Oklahoma, denying the session a quorum, and paralyzing the legislative session. Even still, the Democrats were only able to delay talks and Republicans eventually successfully redistricted that session. Democrats are pushing back. On Monday, state lawmakers held a call with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and former Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the special session. They did not directly encourage members to stage a walkout, a source who was on that call told ABC News. Still, the source added the state House members are continuing to keep all their options open. California's Gov. Gavin Newsom is being more explicit – telling the Pod Save America podcast that he has spoken to state lawmakers about calling a special session to begin making changes to state law in order to redraw their districts in response to Abbott. "If we're gonna play fair in a world that is wholly unfair, we may have the higher moral ground, but the ground is shifting from underneath us. And I think we have to wake up to that reality," Newsom said. California has an independent redistricting commission intended to prevent gerrymandering, but Paul Mitchell, an elections and redistricting expert, said Newsom could go around the commission either by getting voters' approval on a ballot measure in a special election or by arguing in court. A potential ballot measure could halt the commission's authority to draw congressional districts until other states began using similar commissions, and "could all be done in time for the next election" without legal issues. The biggest uncertainty in this scenario would be whether or not voters would support it. Alternatively, Newsom could argue the commission only has authority over decade-end redistricting, but the legislature can still redistrict mid-decade. Mitchell said it was a coin toss whether the California Supreme Court would uphold this argument. MORE: Newsom slams Trump admin during South Carolina tour: 'America in reverse' Jeffries huddled with California's congressional delegation to discuss the prospect Wednesday, a source familiar said. Experts suggested to ABC that other Democratic-held states could follow California's lead, such as New York, Maryland or Illinois, but it's unclear if there would be a significant strategic advantage. Marina Jenkins, the executive director Holder's National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement that Republicans are trying to "suppress votes" and believes an "an immediate avalanche of lawsuits" will come if the maps are redrawn. "This moment requires all hands on deck to stop them," said Jenkins. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, stated in a joint announcement that Texas' "egregious" redistricting attempts "cannot go unanswered." A spokesperson for Abbott, asked about such accusations, wrote, "While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans," including flood relief. Chad Wilbanks, a Republican strategist and former Texas GOP executive director, told ABC News, "The Republicans I talk to are very supportive of a mid-decade redistricting." He thinks that the GOP could gain at least three seats thanks to population changes in the state. Wilbanks dismissed Democrats' claim that the redistricting gambit is politically motivated as "standard politics." Democrats are going on offense regardless. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, made a verbal commitment to Texas Congressional Democrats to invest six figures to support digital ads and other actions to pressure Republicans over redistricting attempts, a source close to the committee told ABC News. Martin traveled to Texas on Friday at the invitation of state Democrats to strategize on next steps. "If Texas Republicans want a showdown, we will give them a showdown," Martin said in a statement. ABC News' Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Country singer Pat Green takes action after losing family members to Texas floods
Despite having suffered a personal loss, Pat Green is still thinking of others. The country singer, who lost his brother, sister-in-law and two nephews in the central Texas floods this month, has put together a relief concert to raise money for those impacted by the disaster. "Our targets are Kerr County relief, TEXSAR, and the Do It For Durrett [Foundation,]" Green told Fox News Digital hours before the concert. "And what I can say about Do it For Durrett is we can actually give straight to the children that have suffered this amazing loss, like my niece did." While he lost his brother John, his brother's wife and their two sons, his niece survived. "Here's to my brother, John, and his wife, Julie, and the two boys that were swept away. But I don't want to get too deep into that or I'll start crying, as I have been," Green said. In his grief, the "I Like Texas" singer said that he's mainly concerned about his parents. "You should never watch your children die, much less your grandchildren," he said. "It's beyond me, you know?" "You should never watch your children die, much less your grandchildren. It's beyond me, you know?" He said he has "good days and bad days" thinking about his family. "I was there when John came out, and he was carrying that blue goop, you know? And I was just like, 'That's my brother,'" the singer remembered of his younger brother's birth. WATCH: PAT GREEN OPENS UP ABOUT PUTTING TOGETHER TEXAS FLOOD RELIEF CONCERT WHILE GRIEVING He added, "But more than anything, I think about my mom and dad right now going through losing a child and grandchildren. And I mean, my loss is great as well, but I think mostly about them." Green said he only felt he could get through Wednesday night's concert by making a "small departure" from thinking about his grief and "turning on the personality that I've been given to be in music and be a person in the public." "Now that doesn't mean that I'm not going to lose my brains because it's pretty likely that I will," he admitted, "but that's why I asked two guys from the radio around here to do it [help him with the show], because at least they can talk to each other if I start to lose my senses." The fundraiser's lineup will include a bevy of country music stars like Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, John Pardi, Corey Kent, Casey Donahew, Josh Abbott, Ryan Bingham, Eli Young Band, Joe Nichols, Kaitlin Butts, Kevin Fowler, and Bob Schneider, among others. "I've never seen Texas not stand up for Texas," Green told Fox News Digital. "And to that end, I really didn't think that there would be anybody that wouldn't at least participate or answer the call. Everybody I asked made a video or is going to be online or going to be here tonight here at Globe Life [Stadium]. And I haven't said it yet, but thanks so much to the Texas Rangers for like, you know, putting their best foot forward and letting us accomplish, hopefully, what we're going to try to accomplish and raise a bunch of money." WATCH: PAT GREEN HAS 'GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS' AS HE GRIEVES LOSING FAMILY IN TEXAS FLOODS Green added that he's extremely grateful to the "people that work and live around me, for giving and sharing their time. They've been doing a wonderful, wonderful job." "There are people that are going out of their way right now," he added. "It's not just the people that have passed, it's the people that it has affected, you know, the mother-in-laws, the brother-in laws, the sisters, the aunts, the people who lived with these people day-to-day that have to right now come to grips with an enormous change that will grip your life. I'm just…gratitude. That's all I've got." The concert will be livestreamed on YouTube Wednesday, July 16 at 6:30pm local time from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Green said people can donate through and he has the information on his social media accounts as well. The flooding has killed more than 130 people in Texas.
Fox News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Jasmine Crockett claims GOP would rather 'bury their constituents' than fight climate change
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, accused Republicans on Friday of wanting to "bury their constituents" after the deadly Texas floods by rolling back ways to combat climate change. She specifically called out the Trump administration and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for what she claimed was a delayed response to the flash flooding that devastated parts of central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. She went on to blame the Republican Party for voting on the "big, ugly bill" to effectively begin "clawing back" on ways to help combat climate change and prevent similar disasters. "The reality is that we are going to continue to face emergencies, especially since as we just got done with the big, ugly bill, they are clawing back those things that would have hopefully started to cool this planet down, because they don't believe in science," Crockett said on MSNBC's "The Weeknight." "The least that they could do is believe in helping American people. Unfortunately, we continue to see Republicans decide that they want to bury their constituents instead of actually doing everything that they can to make sure that they live amazing and full lives." More than 120 people were killed in the flash flooding with dozens reported missing. Since last week, several Democratic figures have been quick to politicize the floods by blaming climate change and President Donald Trump's government cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) for exacerbating the damage. In a statement to Fox News Digital last week, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see Democrats politicizing the tragedy and insisted accusations that the NWS was understaffed had been "debunked by meteorologists, experts, and other public reporting." Last month, Crockett also agreed with a statement from CNN analyst Michael Fanone that "Republicans want poor people to die as quickly as humanly possible." "I agree," Crockett responded. "I don't think that is a glitch, but that's actually part of the design."
