Cliff Notes
- Donald Trump plans to visit Texas on Friday after the devastating flash flooding that resulted in 79 fatalities, citing the need to minimise disruption for recovery efforts.
- He has expressed intentions to phase out FEMA after 2025, advocating for local management of emergency resources, but currently deferred specific discussions on funding cuts.
- Trump has maintained communication with the Texas governor regarding the situation and reiterated confidence in state-level disaster management capabilities.
Texas flash flooding: 21 children among at least 79 killed; DNA being collected to identify the dead | US News
Donald Trump has said he will “probably” visit Texas on Friday, following the flash flooding that killed 79 people in the state.
“We want to leave a little time,” he told reporters this afternoon.
“I would have done it today, but we would just be in their way, probably Friday.”
He said he has been in touch with the Texas governor.
The president was also asked if he plans to continue with cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The US government agency coordinates the disaster response when state and local authorities are overwhelmed in the wake of a situation like the flooding in Texas.
But last month, Trump said he intended to phase out FEMA after the 2025 hurricane season, saying states should be able to handle emergency resources on a local level.
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” he told reporters in June.
“A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
Today, when asked about the planned cuts, he simply said: “FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now they are busy working, so we will leave it at that.”