Greg Abbott’s disastrous support for Trump’s cuts to FEMA and out-of-control insurance profits paved the way for Hinojosa’s victory
TEXAS — Texans have elected Gina Hinojosa governor, ending Greg Abbott’s bid for a fourth term. Abbott spent this year backing the Trump administration’s plan to shrink FEMA, while flood survivors in his own state spent it waiting to receive FEMA’s help.
As a member of President Trump’s FEMA Review Council, Abbott enthusiastically endorsed the Trump administration’s ill-conceived plan to cut FEMA support and push more of the costs of disaster recovery onto cash-strapped communities and struggling survivors.
The results were catastrophic. Under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the botched response to the 2025 Hill Country floods led to the resignation of experienced search and rescue professionals and days-long call center wait times for survivors. When flooding struck again just over a year later, flood survivors had to wait nearly four months for FEMA assistance to arrive. And to this day, long-term federal recovery funding has not been allocated to the survivors and communities impacted by the 2025 floods.
The following statement can be attributed to Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Rafael Lemaitre:
“Texans spoke loud and clear today: a robust, responsive, and fully-funded federal disaster recovery system is essential for keeping costs down and Americans safe.
“Greg Abbott helped the Trump administration cut FEMA to the bone, resulting in days-long call times for survivors, botched emergency response efforts, and a dramatic increase in denials and delays of federal aid. He refused to fill the gaps with the state’s multi-billion dollar rainy day fund. And today he paid the political price.
Abbott’s loss is a repudiation of Trump’s disastrous plan to cut FEMA and push more costs to states, cash-strapped communities, and struggling survivors. Every public official carrying water for this plan should be paying attention to what just happened in Texas. In a time of out of control insurance profits, rising costs, and ever more frequent disasters, Americans want and deserve a real plan for disaster response and recovery.”
###
