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Donald Trump, first lady visit Texas after floods kill 120, leave 160 missing
The administration has described the disaster as a “once-in-a-lifetime event,” as the scale of destruction continues to mount across central parts of the state.
US President Donald Trump landed in Texas on Friday for an up-close look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding that has claimed at least 120 lives.
The administration has described the disaster as a “once-in-a-lifetime event,” as the scale of destruction continues to mount across central parts of the state.
Trump is expected to conduct an aerial survey of the worst-hit areas, an approach often used by presidents to assess damage while minimising disruption on the ground.
In Central Texas, Trump and first lady Melania Trump were joined by Governor Greg Abbott for a field briefing near a firetruck surrounded by uprooted trees. The group reviewed maps and discussed the scale of the disaster with emergency officials.
The president, wearing a suit and white “USA” baseball cap, appeared solemn as he listened to officials on the ground. Melania Trump wore a khaki jacket, olive green trousers, Converse sneakers, and a dark ballcap, reflecting the sombre tone of the visit.
The couple later posed for photos with police officers and emergency personnel in hard hats, a symbolic gesture of support for the workers responding to the crisis.
According to the White House, Trump will also visit the state emergency operations center, meet with first responders and grieving families, and receive a detailed briefing from officials overseeing the rescue and recovery efforts.
The Trump administration still plans to shut down FEMA and shift disaster response to the states as part of its effort to cut federal services, but it has toned down its public messaging on the issue since the deadly July 4 floods.
State Department faces backlash over staff cuts
Meanwhile, criticism of the administration intensified in Washington after the State Department abruptly cut more staff from its Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE).
Jessica Bradley Rushing, a former CARE staffer, told the Associated Press she was stunned to receive a dismissal notice while already on administrative leave.
“I never even anticipated that I could be at risk for that because I’m already on administrative leave and then I happened to open my email and see that I also got the ‘RIF’ notice,” Rushing said, referring to the reduction-in-force notification. She added that colleagues who remained at CARE were “watching sort of this carnage take place within the office.”
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the union representing US diplomats, strongly condemned the layoffs, calling them “untethered from merit or mission.”
“In less than six months, the US has shed at least 20 percent of its diplomatic workforce through shuttering of institutions and forced resignations,” AFSA said in a statement. “Losing more diplomatic expertise at this critical global moment is a catastrophic blow to our national interests.”
The 18 per cent workforce reduction, announced Friday, comes amid heightened international uncertainty and a series of ongoing global crises, adding further scrutiny to the Trump administration’s internal staffing decisions.
With Associated Press inputs
