Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, sharply criticized the government’s handling of recent deadly flooding in Texas, saying the failure “at every level” contributed to the deaths of more than 120 people across the state, The Hill reported.
“I believe there have been failures at every level of government, from the county to the state and the federal,” Doggett said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Velshi.”
“There are families across the state in tears today, suffering so much loss, and this was totally unnecessary to have this big loss, so many lives, so many children’s lives taken when we have the technological means to do something about it.”
He also criticized President Trump’s response to a local Texas reporter during the president’s visit to the region on Friday. The reporter had asked what Trump would say to families who were frustrated by emergency alerts that failed to warn them in time.
“Well, I think everybody did an incredible job under the circumstances,” Trump replied. “I just have admiration for the job that everybody did. There’s just admiration. The eh – only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you. I don’t know who you are. But only a very evil person would ask a question like that.”
Doggett said the president’s dismissal of the reporter’s question demonstrated a broader unwillingness to accept accountability.
“Well, only a president who believes he should have no accountability at all, certainly not from the courts, not from the Congress, not from an inspector general, and in this case, continuing to attack the press when reporters point out that the National Weather Service, despite its dedication, had some problems,” Doggett said.
The Texas Democrat further criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response, saying FEMA’s delayed deployment of search and rescue teams and a lack of adequate training hampered efforts on the ground.
“FEMA got its search and rescue teams there late and not as well trained because of the way things were run there at FEMA, one thing after another, at the federal level, contributed here, and this president refuses to accept any kind of accountability for what occurred,” Doggett said.
Doggett was among three House Democrats who raised concerns that staff cuts at the National Weather Service may have contributed to delayed flood warnings.
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