Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is suggesting that past budget decisions under the Trump administration may have played a role in the deadly flooding in central Texas.
In a CNN interview Tuesday, Swalwell called for a congressional review into whether cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) compromised early warning systems ahead of the severe weather event that left multiple people dead and others still missing.
The remarks followed a segment in which CNN’s Kate Bolduan raised questions about the potential impact of previous federal funding reductions on the effectiveness of storm alerts in Texas. Swalwell responded by framing the issue as both a public safety concern and a broader defense of government services.
“I do think as lawmakers, we have a responsibility to look at [whether] cuts affect[ed] the ability for folks on the ground… to have an earlier, better warning,” Swalwell stated, linking the floods to a wider trend of skepticism toward federal agencies.
He criticized what he described as an ongoing effort to “undermine the hard work of government workers,” referencing air traffic controllers and FEMA personnel as examples.
Swalwell acknowledged the current search-and-rescue operations still underway in Texas and said that investigations into the underlying causes should proceed with sensitivity. Nevertheless, he emphasized Congress’s duty to ensure federal agencies have sufficient resources, especially those tasked with public safety functions like weather forecasting.
The Trump administration proposed multiple budget reductions for the National Weather Service between 2017 and 2020, though many were ultimately not enacted by Congress.
Some of the proposals included staff reductions and cuts to weather satellite programs, prompting criticism from both meteorologists and lawmakers at the time.
No official report has yet linked any specific policy change to failures in the Texas weather alert system, and the National Weather Service has not publicly commented on Swalwell’s claims. However, the congressman’s comments may signal the beginning of a broader partisan debate over the role of federal funding in disaster preparedness and response.