Investigation Demanded Into If Trump Cuts To National Weather Service Got People Killed In Texas Flood

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer is demanding an independent investigation into the potential role Trump's cuts to the National Weather Service played in the deadly Texas flood.

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Eighy-two people have now died, including 28 children, after a deadly flash flood in central Texas on Friday. The death toll is expected to climb higher as 40 people remain missing.

When the most deadly flood in a century happens in the United States, it is logical and a matter of public safety to demand answers.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has written to the acting Inspector General of the Commerce Department demanding an investigation.

Schumer wrote in part:

These are all valid questions that deserve answers. It is unlikely that it was a coincidence that Donald Trump came back into office and gutted key weather monitoring and research agencies, then the worst loss of life in a flood in the United States happened under his watch.

The situation is much more nuanced than Trump made cuts and people died, but it is essential to ask if Trump’s actions left the National Weather Service underresourced and contributed to the loss of life.

The primary role of any government is to protect and keep its people safe. There was a failure or multiple failures at potentially multiple levels of government.

It is vital to have an independent investigation because Republicans at all levels of this disaster have an incentive to sweep this under the rug or pass the blame.

Republicans haven’t been interested in governing for decades, so if Democrats don’t call for an investigation and review, who will?

The motive should be to determine what went wrong and ensure that it never happens again. The United States spent decades building a weather warning system to help people survive natural disasters. There have been some extraordinary stories of lives saved because of the work of both Republicans and Democrats.

What happened in central Texas was a failure of the system that requires an examination of everything, including Trump’s changes to the National Weather Service.

What do you think of Schumer’s request for an independent investigation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.