The lawmakers claim DHS Secretary Kristi Noem waited 72 hours after the flooding started to send search and rescue teams to Central Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Congressman Greg Casar and several other Democratic lawmakers have sent letters to U.S. leaders in the aftermath of deadly Central Texas floods, demanding answers about the federal response.
Casar, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) and U.S. Robert Garcia (D-Los Angeles) sent one of the three letters to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator David Richardson, directly calling out the agency for its “apparent delay” in flood response efforts.
The letter claims that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem waited 72 hours after the flooding started to send search and rescue teams to Central Texas.
“[Noem’s] new policy, which requires her personal approval for contracts and grants over $100,000, caused significant delays to FEMA’s ability to deploy search and rescue teams in a timely manner responding to the catastrophic flooding,” the letter stated in part.
Now the lawmakers are requesting information from Noem, Office of the Secretary officials, FEMA officials and others by July 25 at the latest.
The letter includes a breakdown of requests, including documents from state partners to FEMA in relation to the recent floods.
Additional letters were sent to the Duane Townsend, the Department of Commerce’s acting inspector general, as well as to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), stating that the National Weather Service (NWS) had vacancies during the time of the flood.
The letter to Townsend states that instead of making the NWS more effective, “the Trump Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have focused on staffing and resource cuts” that have put the agency at a disadvantage.
The lawmakers have also requested documents related to the floods from the Department of Commerce and NOAA, including a request about NWS vacancies.