With Hurricane Season Intensifying and Texas Still Reeling from Deadly Floods, New Group Launches to Hold Trump, Governors Accountable for Disaster Preparedness Failures
Sabotaging Our Safety Will Show the Steep Cost of Prioritizing Politics Over Safety
With Donald Trump implementing severe funding and staffing cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Weather Service while Republican governors simultaneously undermine disaster preparedness in their own states, together they have created the perfect conditions for preventable disaster. As millions of Americans brace for the peak of a climate-intensified hurricane season, a new group launching today, Sabotaging Our Safety (SOS), will expose the bitter consequences of systematically undermining disaster preparedness for political gain.
The devastating July 4 floods in Texas serve as a tragic preview of what happens when leaders prioritize politics over people's lives. More than 134 people have died, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, while three people remain missing.
The disaster was compounded by systematic failures:
Trump administration layoffs affected hundreds of National Weather Service employees, over 16,000 FEMA calls went unanswered due to contract lapses, and his DHS requirement that all $100,000+ contracts need Secretary approval created deadly delays.
Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott is playing politics with available state emergency funds while demanding a special session for political theater instead of delivering immediate relief to Texans living in mold-damaged homes.
Launching today with an advisory council featuring elected officials and political operatives, SOS will hold Trump and state leadership accountable for their actions. Members include:
Derrick Osobase, CWA District 6 Vice President, Tory Gavito, President of Way to Win (TX)
Ashley Shelton, President of the Power Coalition for Electoral Justice, and Davante Lewis, Public Service Commissioner for Louisiana's Third District (LA)
State Representative Angie Nixon, Executive Director of Florida for All (FL)
Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight (GA)
SOS Advisory Councilmembers said: "Donald Trump is sabotaging our safety, but he's not acting alone. Republican governors are helping execute a dangerous agenda that is shortchanging millions of Americans who will need swift, well-funded, and fully staffed action when natural disasters strike. We've seen firsthand how these preparation failures translate into preventable tragedy—from the recent deadly floods in Texas to the hurricane threats bearing down on our Gulf Coast communities. This effort will highlight the direct link between the concerted preparation failures of our leadership today and the devastating impacts it will reap in the form of preventable deaths, leveled homes and hospitals, and decimated local economies."
The group will focus on the cuts in Washington, DC and state government failures in key states like Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. SOS will deploy a comprehensive strategy to hold leaders accountable for their preparedness failures, including rapid response efforts, targeted messaging campaigns, social media engagement, partner activation, paid media buys, and coordinated advocacy. The group will elevate the voices of disaster mitigation experts, storm survivors, and key lawmakers to expose the real-world consequences of political failures.
