Trump plans to tour Texas flood damage as the scope of the disaster tests his pledge to shutter FEMA
Share this @internewscast.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump travels to Texas on Friday to assess the destruction from the catastrophic flooding, he has notably held back on discussing his earlier vows to dismantle the federal agency responsible for disaster aid.

The Trump administration is not withdrawing its commitments to close the Federal Emergency Management Agency and delegate disaster response to individual states. However, since the July 4 disaster, which has resulted in at least 120 fatalities, the focus of the president and his senior aides has shifted to the extraordinary nature of the event and the human suffering it has caused, rather than the government-reducing agenda that resonates with Trump’s key supporters.

“Nobody ever saw a thing like this coming,” Trump stated to NBC News on Thursday, adding, “This is a once-in-every-200-year deal.” He also indicated he would have been prepared to visit Texas immediately but didn’t want to overwhelm officials still looking for the more than 170 people who remain missing.

Trump’s shift in focus underscores how tragedy can complicate political calculations, even though Trump has made slashing the federal workforce and charging ally-turned-antagonistElon Musk with dramatically shrinking the size of government centerpieces of his administration’s opening months.

The president is expected to do an aerial tour of some of the hard-hit areas.

The White House also says he’ll visit the state emergency operations center to meet with first responders and relatives of flood victims. Trump will also get a briefing from officials. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz are joining the visit, with the GOP senators expected to fly to their state with Trump aboard Air Force One.

It’s relatively common for presidents visiting disaster sites to tour the damage by air, a move that can ease the logistical burdens on authorities on the ground.

Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, observed the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina and Hurricane Milton in Florida last fall by air before meeting with disaster response officials and victims on the ground.

Trump, though, has also used past disaster response efforts to launch political attacks. While still a candidate trying to win back the presidency, Trump made his own visit to North Carolina after Helene last year and accused the Biden administration of blocking disaster aid to victims in Republican-heavy areas.

First lady Melania Trump will accompany the president Friday, marking the second time this term that she has joined her husband to tour a natural disaster site.

During his first weekend back in the White House, Trump again visited North Carolina to scope out Helene damage and toured the aftermath of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. But he also used those trips to sharply criticize the Biden administration and California officials.

Trump has promised repeatedly — and as recently as last month — to begin “phasing out” FEMA and bring disaster response management “down to the state level.”

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump didn’t mention those plans and instead praised the federal flooding response. Turning to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, he said, “You had people there as fast as anybody’s ever seen.”

Pressed this week on whether the White House will continue to work to shutter FEMA, press secretary Karoline Leavitt wouldn’t say.

“The president wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need,” Leavitt said. “Whether that assistance comes from states or the federal government, that is a policy discussion that will continue.”

While the focus is on FEMA at the federal level, local officials have come under mounting scrutiny over how much they were prepared and how quickly they acted. But not everyone affected has been quick to point fingers.

Darrin Potter, a Kerr County, Texas, resident for 25 years who saw ankle-high flooding in his home and said he knew people killed, said, “As far as early warnings, I’m sure they can improve on that.”

But he said all the talk about evacuating was missing something important. The area where a wall of water ripped through was a two-lane road, he said.

“If you would have evacuated at 5 in the morning, all of those people would have been washed away on this road,” he said.

During the Cabinet meeting, Noem described traveling to Texas and seeing heartbreaking scenes, including around Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 people were killed.

“The parents that were looking for their children and picking up their daughter’s stuffed animals out of the mud and finding their daughter’s shoe that might be laying in the cabin,” she said.

Noem said that “just hugging and comforting people matters a lot” and “this is a time for all of us in this country to remember that we were created to serve each other.”

But the secretary is also co-chairing a FEMA review council charged with submitting suggestions for how to overhaul the agency in coming months.

“We as a federal government don’t manage these disasters. The state does,” Noem told Trump on Tuesday.

She also referenced the administration’s government-reducing efforts, saying: ”We’re cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA. Streamlining it, much like your vision of how FEMA should operate.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Oklahoma Resident Held by ICE While Awaiting Green Card

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) An Oklahoma City-area Vietnamese family is scrambling after their…

Trump Apologizes for Missing Journalist Interview Following Butler Shooting

() Nearly one year after a gunman fired at a campaign rally…

California Family Claims Farmworker Dies Following Disordered Federal Immigration Raid

A farmworker involved in the cannabis industry, who sustained severe injuries during…

How Trump’s Major Legislation Could Influence the 2026 House Control Battle

WASHINGTON – Debate over President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package is over…

Upcoming Changes to How You Get Your Social Security and VA Benefits This Fall: Key Information

(NEXSTAR) — There have been various updates to government benefit payments this…

Iran Open to Restarting Nuclear Talks with US if Assurance of No More Attacks Given

According to state media reports, Iran’s foreign minister announced on Saturday that…

More than 2,000 UFO Sightings Documented in the First Six Months of 2025

(NewsNation) — In the first half of 2025, over 2,000 UFO sightings…

Teen Message TikToker About Parents’ Deaths Before Being Arrested

(NewsNation) — Sarah Grace Patrick had contacted true-crime TikTokers, seeking their assistance…

Andrew Cuomo Announces Independent Candidacy for NYC Mayor with New Proposal

() Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce this…

Experienced U.S. Diplomats Confused by Widespread Layoffs at State Department

Over 1,300 employees were compelled to leave the State Department on Friday,…

Most Americans Oppose Trump’s Immigration Policies, Survey Finds

(NewsNation) — In a shift from previous years, Americans are now viewing…

London Music Festival Cancels Last Night After ELO’s Jeff Lynne Withdraws

LONDON – A major music festival in central London, which was set…