Hill Country Faces Another Devastating Flood as Trump Administration Leaves FEMA Without Leadership, Funding, or Staff

AUSTIN, TX — Texas’s Hill Country is facing dangerous flooding again. Just four months after catastrophic July 4 floods that claimed over 130 lives, communities are under severe flood threat again. The Trump administration has done nothing to prepare these vulnerable areas for the next disaster. Now, that disaster has arrived and FEMA is operating without permanent leadership.

The latest floods come amid unprecedented chaos at the agency following the resignation of Acting Administrator David Richardson, whose incompetence proved deadly during the July crisis. Richardson was unreachable for 24 hours during the catastrophic flooding, abandoning communities at their moment of greatest need. His position remains unfilled as Hill Country residents face yet another life-threatening emergency.

In response, Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council Member and Texas resident Rafael Lemaitre released the following statement:

“The deadly summer flooding should have served as a wake-up call for Donald Trump and his administration to ensure FEMA was fully funded and staffed with experienced leadership. Instead, they’ve allowed chaos to erupt at the agency precisely when Americans need it most. As Texans grapple with this flooding and work to recover in its wake, the administration must ensure FEMA is fully funded and has the leadership in place to respond effectively.”

Earlier this year, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem changed FEMA policy to require her personal approval for any spending over $100,000. When emergency response teams desperately needed Richardson to secure that approval during the Texas crisis, he vanished for 24 hours. Noem didn’t approve critical spending until 72 hours after flooding began, a deadly delay that kept search and rescue crews off the ground.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has systematically gutted America’s emergency response system. Trump proposed eliminating FEMA entirely, then slashed 20% of its workforce, froze critical emergency funds, and cancelled FEMA’s flood protection program, eliminating $4.6 billion in funding nationwide.