Trump Admin Makes Shock Admission on Texas Disaster

Summary

Summary of "Trump Admin Makes Shock Admission on Texas Disaster"

Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Host: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Release Date: July 7, 2025

---

1. Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, the Meiselas brothers delve into the recent catastrophic storm in Kerr County, Texas, analyzing the Trump administration's response and the ensuing political ramifications. The discussion is anchored by a detailed examination of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's press conferences and the broader implications of federal budget cuts on disaster management.

2. Overview of the Texas Flash Flood Disaster

A devastating storm led to unprecedented flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas, resulting in the tragic loss of 32 lives, including 14 children, with many still missing. The severity of the disaster has sparked intense debate over the effectiveness of the federal and state responses.

3. Kristi Noem's Press Conference and Response

a. Initial Press Conference Remarks ([00:50] - [04:35])

Kristi Noem held a press conference addressing the insufficient alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) prior to the flooding. When questioned about the lack of early warnings, Noem attributed the failure to outdated technology, stating:

"Trump is upgrading the technology. ... we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years."
— Kristi Noem [04:35]

Noem also shifted partial blame to the federal government under former President Biden, insinuating that the administration's previous policies contributed to the disaster.

b. Shifting Blame to Texas ([06:40] - [09:45])

In subsequent statements, Noem commended Texas's disaster response capabilities while subtly undermining federal agencies' roles:

"I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters. ... many states do not do what the people of Texas do."
— Kristi Noem [07:30]

She emphasized that FEMA is integrated into state operations but avoided committing to FEMA's leadership in disaster response, contradicting traditional federal-state collaboration models.

4. Critique of Noem's Approach and FEMA’s Role

The commentator highlights inconsistencies in Noem's statements, pointing out her administration's efforts to dismantle FEMA:

"We know that Kristi Noem wants to abolish FEMA and Trump wants to abolish FEMA. And they've been gutting these agencies."
— Commentator [06:40]

Evidence is presented of Noem's public declarations advocating for FEMA's elimination:

"we're going to eliminate fema."
— Kristi Noem [11:14]

During congressional testimonies, Noem acknowledged the necessity of FEMA but deferred decisions about its future to higher authorities, reflecting internal conflicts within the administration.

5. Federal Budget Cuts Impacting Disaster Management

a. NOAA and NWS Budget Reductions

The podcast details significant budget cuts proposed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the NWS. These cuts, amounting to a 25% reduction or approximately $1.6 billion, have led to:

• A 20-40% understaffing in Central and South Florida NWS offices.
• A nearly 20% reduction in weather balloon launches, degrading forecast quality.
• Potential suspension of NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft missions, impairing storm tracking capabilities.

Former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad criticizes these cuts, emphasizing their detrimental effects on weather prediction and climate research:

"These misguided cuts are really basically saying... our ability to predict these devastating weather events... that's good enough."
— Rick Spinrad [10:57]

b. Expert Concerns and Public Safety

Meteorologists and experts warn that reduced funding compromises the accuracy of weather forecasts, increasing the risk of inadequate preparation for severe weather events. John Morales, a renowned meteorologist, expressed concern over diminished forecasting capabilities due to budget constraints:

"What we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded."
— John Morales [09:03]

6. State Officials' Response and Accountability Issues

State officials in Texas have criticized the federal response, highlighting communication failures and delayed evacuations:

"We knew there was going to be a problem. Why weren't these camps evacuated?"
— Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly [08:42]

The commentator underscores the chaos resulting from reduced federal support and expertise, attributing the disaster's mismanagement to systemic governmental shortcomings.

7. Broader Implications and Additional Disasters

The discussion extends beyond Texas, noting other states like Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi facing deadly storms with inadequate FEMA responses. Examples include:

• Kentucky: Delayed or absent FEMA assistance.
• North Carolina and Georgia: Rejected supplemental assistance post-Hurricane Helene.

8. Conclusion and Insights

The episode emphasizes the critical link between federal support structures and effective disaster management. The Meiselas brothers argue that undermining agencies like FEMA and cutting essential budgets for NOAA and NWS severely hampers the nation's ability to respond to natural disasters. They advocate for restoring federal expertise and funding to ensure timely and efficient disaster response, ultimately supporting the infrastructure of democracy and public safety.

---

Notable Quotes

• Kristi Noem on Technology Upgrades:

  "Trump is upgrading the technology... we needed to renew this ancient system..."
  [04:35]

• Kristi Noem on Texas's Response:

  "I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters."
  [07:30]

• Former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad on Budget Cuts:

  "These misguided cuts are really basically saying... our ability to predict these devastating weather events... that's good enough."
  [10:57]

• Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly on Evacuations:

  "We knew there was going to be a problem. Why weren't these camps evacuated?"
  [08:42]

---

Final Thoughts

The MeidasTouch Podcast provides a thorough analysis of the Trump administration's handling of the Texas flash flood disaster, highlighting the interplay between federal policies, budget allocations, and on-the-ground disaster response. By incorporating direct quotes and timestamped references, the podcast offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of the political and administrative challenges exacerbating natural disasters.

Transcript

[Kristi Noem]

Hey guys, have you heard of Gold Belly? It's this amazing site where they ship the most iconic famous foods from restaurants across the country anywhere nationwide. I've never found a more perfect gift than food. Gold Belly Ship Chicago Deep dish pizza, New York bagels, Maine Lobster rolls and even Ina Garden's famous cakes. So if you're looking for a gift for the food lover in your life, head to goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code GIFT. That's goldbelly.com, promo code GIFT. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Commentator]

This is just horrific stuff, folks. The Trump regime just held a press conference in Texas. They had Kristi Noem, the Secretary for Homeland Security, hold this press conference regarding the catastrophic storm that led to flash floodings in Kerr County. The current death toll is 32 individuals, including 14 children. And there are still people who are missing. The death toll may indeed get higher. So Kristi Noem was holding this press conference and she was asked a question about why the National Weather Service was not pinging people's phones as they expected and whether there was a failure in federal government's responsibility to keep the people of Texas safe. Now Kristi Noem responds by saying that the technology needed to be upgraded and she seems to be blaming former President Biden also in this disastrous press conference. She almost seems to be blaming Texas and saying that Texas should be taking the lead here in emergency response where this would be one of the prime activities that fema, where the federal government would indeed be taking the lead and the federal government in normal situations, situations would be pre positioning their own emergency responders with state responders and the feds would be leading the effort. We have this on videotape so you can see the receipts that we have. But let's just go through some of the facts one by one. I want to show you this disastrous press conference, but we need to be able to fact check everything appropriately so you understand. So as Dan Koh, who was in the Biden administration writes, the National Weather Service NWS is under Noah N O A the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Trump regime proposed cutting 25% of the NOAA budget, about $1.6 billion, including labs that support NWS. Trump lost 600 NWS officials, National Weather Service officials due to layoffs and retirements. Remember when Doge was doing that? And then just a few days ago, Kristi Noem was bragging about stealing money from FEMA to fund Alligator Alcat. Here's Christine Ohm's post. Alligator Alcatraz will be funded largely by FEMA's Shelter and Services program, which the Biden administration used as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens, including the Roosevelt Hotel that served Trent Agua. I mean, that's not true, but she did steal money from FEMA to fund Alligator Alcatraz. And as I said, we know that that death toll is rising. Now, this is quite the admission from Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Same excuse that Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, used to try to avoid blame for the FAA shortages. So just so you can make sure you can hear it, the reporter says, why was the National Weather Service not pinging their phones before 7? Was it a fundamental failure of the federal government's responsibility to keep us safe? And then Kristi Noem says, well, Trump is upgrading the technology. And then she claims that the bad technology seems to have role in this. Then she blames former President Biden. Watch this for yourself. Let's play it. Why was, why was the National Weather.

[Kristi Noem]

Service not ping our phones before 7.

[Commentator]

O' clock the day of 4th of July?

[Kristi Noem]

Need a federal people answer that meeting for us. I got updates at 7 o'.

[Commentator]

Clock.

[Kristi Noem]

First one I, I heard and I've heard updates throughout the week, but not before 7 o' clock in the morning.

[Commentator]

Wasn't that a fundamental failure of the.

[Kristi Noem]

Of the federal government's responsibility to keep us safe? Well, you know, my background is before I was in the secretary position here under the Trump administration, I was governor of South Dakota and served in Congress for eight years before I was governor. And so I will tell you that for decades, for years, everybody knows that the weather is extremely difficult to predict. But also that the National Weather Service over the years at times has done well. And at times we have all wanted more time and more warning and more alerts and more notification. That is something. And one of the reasons that when President Trump took office that he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology. And the National Weather Service has indicated that with that and NOAA that we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years. And that is the reforms that are ongoing there. The timeline that I have I don't oversee the National Weather Service. That's not under my department. But the timeline that I did receive from them was that the notifications started to look at its expansion for its limited flood impact area. That July 3, at 1:18pm the flood watch was issued. Although it was moderate, it wasn't to the extremes that it was that when the system came over the area that it stalled, it was much more water, much like I think we experienced during Harvey. The same type of system that was unpredictable in the way that it reacted, in the way that it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this. They continue to elevate and up their notifications. You know when your notification hit your phone, sir, I'm sorry, I can't speak to to when that is. But I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, to President Trump and and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members. But we know that everybody wants more warning time and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected by far too long to make sure that families have as much advanced notice as possible.

[Commentator]

Now next clip. Kristi Noem seems to try to shift the blame as well to Texas and seem like Texas is the one running the show. Here she goes. I do know that the state of Texas is amazing and how it responds to disasters that may or may not be true. We know that actually Greg Abbott has not responded well to disasters at all, as we've seen before. But this would be something where the feds would pre position emergency responders and the feds would be taking the lead, not ceding authority to a state like Texas, something of this magnitude or any state at all. This would be something that FEMA would be leading. But we know that Kristi Noem wants to abolish FEMA and Trump wants to abolish fema. And they've been gutting these agencies. We've been, you know, they've been gutting these agencies. Here's what she says here, play this clip.

[Kristi Noem]

I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters. Not every state is like that. Many states do not do what the people of Texas do. And you are an example to the nation of getting through these difficult times. But also know that you're not alone, that you have the entire country's hearts and are with you and are walking alongside you. And at the department we will continue to bring more resources. We just at the request of a previous conversation less than an hour ago in visiting with him and with the governor requested more fixed wing aircraft from Coast Guard to come and help us.

[Commentator]

And then the way she describes even FEMA's role, she goes, FEMA is standing at an enhanced level right now. They're plugged into the state operations center. Really this should be a joint task force where FEMA in many ways is taking the lead. But she's saying we're plugged in because I think she recognizes that a lot of the response has not been done the right way and is not being handled well. So I think she's trying to shift responsibility to Texas here. And so I think we're going to see that develop. Here, play this clip.

[Kristi Noem]

What can be utilized. And of course, FEMA is standing at an enhanced level right now, which means that they are plugged in to the state operations center. We are engaged. And then as this response goes forward that their role will continue to be filled as it always is in these situations and will be timely and responsive as to what the governor requests.

[Commentator]

And over here she tries to describe what she believes FEMA's role to be in this horrific flash flood disaster from the Guadalupe River. And she goes the role of the state is to run and manage that emergency, but the federal government needs to be here for extra resources. Again, that fundamentally is misstating what FEMA is. It's not the role of the state to be the ones who are kind of leading something of this magnitude. I mean, could you imagine in the hurricanes if it was left to just the state to do? No, FEMA should be there. It should be a joint task force. And if anything, this should be where the feds are running the show and bringing to bear the federal resources. Here, play this clip.

[Kristi Noem]

And this tragic situation is something that is unprecedented. We recognize that at the federal level, we also recognize that when something like this happens to a community, happens to a state, that the best responders are those locally because it's your family members, it's your community members that are being impacted and you can respond quickly. And the role of the state is to run and manage that emergency. But the federal government needs to be here for the support and extra resources on the ground as well. And that is what we are doing and what President Trump has dedicated to continue to do.

[Commentator]

Now, just so I can fact check what Kristi Noem said and you can hear for yourself, we have her on camera multiple times talking about abolishing fema, getting rid of fema. And also they fired the former head of fema, the interim head of fema, who was a MAGA guy who replaced the other head of fema, an ultra MAGA guy fired. His name was Cameron Hamilton, I believe. And the reason that they fired him was because he said that FEMA should still exist. I'll show you clips on that in a moment. But here, Trump Secretary of Homeland Security Christine Ohm advocated earlier last month for abolishing fema. Here it is right here.

[Kristi Noem]

We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions of people. And President Trump does not want to see that continue into the future. So this agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists.

[Commentator]

Here she is on March 24, 2025, saying that FEMA will be eliminated. Play the clip.

[Kristi Noem]

And we're going to eliminate fema. So we've got a lot, a lot to do, but it's all good and we're working hard and we're going to make sure that we're continuing to do exactly what you promised.

[Commentator]

Now, here she is testifying before Congress where she talks about eliminating FEMA and getting rid of fema. Just so you have all these data points. Play this clip.

[Kristi Noem]

Well, thank you for your question and the discussion on this topic today. President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people and that FEMA as it exists today, should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government.

[Commentator]

Now we show you a lot of the disastrous press conferences that happen at the White House because I want to build a body of evidence and receipts when things like this happen, so you can see for yourself. So one such disastrous press conference, Donald Trump's chief propagandist, Caroline Levitt, was asked about why Cameron Hamilton, the ultra MAGA former head of fema, was fired from his job. And she said because he had a position that was different from the regime's position on fema. Watch this. Let's play it.

[Kristi Noem]

Could you explain why the FEMA administrator was removed from his position this week? This is a personnel matter in regards to the Department of Homeland Security. But my understanding is that this individual testified saying something that was contrary to what the president believes in the goals of this administration in regards to FEMA policy. And so, of course, we want to make sure that people in every position are advancing the administration's goals. But as for specifics, I defer you to the Department of Homeland Security. We leave it up to our Great Cabinet secretaries when it comes to personnel matters.

[Commentator]

Okay, well, now let me show you what Cameron Hamilton actually testified to. So you know what she's referring, referring to. He simply said that FEMA should exist and then he was fired within hours of the testimony I'm about to show you by Kristi Noem. So here's ultra Maga Cameron Hamilton, former head of fema. He gets fired right after saying this. Kristi Noem calls him in and says, how dare you say that FEMA should exist. Play this clip. Yesterday, the secretary testified, Secretary Noem testified.

[Kristi Noem]

Quite honestly, I found her responses confusing and inadequate in response to my question.

[Commentator]

Asking her about whether or not this administration seeks to eliminate fema.

[Kristi Noem]

This was her response.

[Commentator]

And I quote, president Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people and that FEMA as it exists today, should be eliminated. And empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support. A clear answer. Does this administration seek to eliminate FEMA and do you support eliminating FEMA? Mr. Chairman, would you like me to answer the question, Please?

[Kristi Noem]

I'm not going to let you off that easy. Please.

[Commentator]

No, I completely understand. As the senior advisor to the president on disasters and emergency management and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body on identifying the exact ways and methodologies in which what is prudent for federal investment and what is not. All right, now let me show you what the Texas state officials have been saying, blasting the feds, blasting the National Weather Service for a faulty forecast in the deadly flood disaster from the Guadalupe river in Kerr county in Kerrville. So here's what the Texas state officials are saying so you can hear for yourself. Forecast that we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Hill Country. We worked with our own meteorologists to fine tune that weather statement. And as many of you know, and many of you in broadcast journalism and meteorology, you can go back and look at your own forecast. And the amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts. This rain event sat on top of that and dumped more rain than what was forecasted on both of those forks. When we got the report, it was about 7ft or so on the south fork and within a matter of minutes it was up to 29ft. And all of that converged at the Guadalupe and that's where we saw those very quick rise and flood. But listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service, right? You all got it. You're all in media. You got that forecast. It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw. Okay, now here is Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly. Here's what he has to say. Play this clip. Judge ROBERT these camps evacuated yesterday. Texas Department of Emergency Emergency management put out an all call and said there's going to be a problem. We knew there were there was going to be a problem. Why weren't these camps evacuated? I can't answer that. I don't know. Well, you're the judge. I mean you're the top official here in this county. Why can't you answer that? There are kids missing. These camps were in harm's way. We knew this flood was coming. We didn't know this flood was coming. Rest assured, no one this kind of flood was coming. We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States and we and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be any anything like what's happened here. Now do you see just what a total mess this is? Everyone's blaming everybody who's accountable, who's running the show. This is what happens when you destroy government from within and you get rid of the experts. Look, my heart goes out to anybody in Texas who's been impacted by this. All of the people in Kerr County. You also deserve so much better than what's currently happening right now is people have ripped apart government and ripped apart services and it's not functioning. And by the way, here's John Morales, NBC Miami, top meteorologist there beloved in the community. This was him about a month ago or so. And again he's in Florida but he talks about how the NOAA National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration being cut which houses nws the National Weather Service would impact his ability to forecast accurately here. Play this clip. As you've grown accustomed to my presentations over my 34 years in South Florida newscasts confidently I went on TV and I told you it's going to turn. You don't need to worry. It is going to turn. And I am here to tell you that I am not sure I can do that this year because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general. And I could talk about that for a long, long time and how that is affecting the U.S. leadership in science over many years and how we're losing that leadership. And this is a multi generational impact on science in this country. All right. But specifically, let's talk about the federal government cuts to the National Weather Service and to noaa. Did you know that Central and South Florida National Weather Service offices are currently basically 20 to 40% under square, understaffed from Tampa to Key west, including the Miami office, 20 to 40% understaffed. Now, this type of staffing shortage is having impacts across the nation because there's been a nearly 20% reduction in weather balloon releases, launches that carry those radiosondes. And what we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded. There's also a chance because of some of these cuts that NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft will not be able to fly this year. And with less reconnaissance missions, we may be flying blind and we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline, like happened a couple of years ago in Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico. So I was asked to talk about this today. I'm glad I was. I just want you to know that what you need to do is call your representative and make sure that these cuts are stopped. And here's the former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad warning the Trump administration's plan to slash the agency would cut the ability to improve forecasts. Here, play this clip. The national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as noaa, is facing significant budget cuts. A memo obtained by CBS News finds the agency's 2026 budget may be slashed by more than $1.5 billion compared to this year's budget levels. NOAA's research functions would be, according to this memo, the hardest hit. Now, it's important to note that President Trump has not yet approved this budget cut, but the OMB director has, and that makes it very real, very real indeed. Former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad joins me now. Rick, thanks for joining us on such short notice. What impact would this have if it were to happen? Yeah, thanks for having me, Major. And thanks for paying attention to this important story. The impact would be across the nation, across sectors that would affect just about every American, almost every industry and every community. These misguided cuts are really basically saying, especially when you cut research out of the formula that what we've got right now in terms of our ability to predict these devastating weather events, climate change impacts, that that's good enough. We don't need to make any improvements and that will cause ser problems because as I understand it, if you stop measuring that doesn't mean you stop experiencing the effects of climate change driven weather patterns. You're just not understanding what's going on or what may happen in the future. Exactly. I'd love to sit here and tell you Major, that we know everything about how tornadoes form, how hurricanes form, how tsunamis form. But the fact is we need to continue doing research so that we can improve those forecasts. With, with people dying, 400 people dying from hurricanes in the Southeast last year, are we really prepared to say, yeah, that's okay, we don't need to make any improvements. So when you cut the research, you cut the ability to improve the forecasts and the predictions. Now there's, I want to be very clear, there's a lot of different timelines, you know, you know here there's, There was a NOAA NWS warning sometime around 1:00am in the morning on the 4th, then another one sometime around, you know, 4:00am the locals didn't seem to get message though from that being connected to the kind of local and state officials until what like 5:36. And some people said they didn't hear it until 7. So what was going on there with the communication? Also you heard from the Texas officials that they thought based on what they understood about the forecast that the amount of rain was not going to be what it was, 13 plus inches at the time. They thought it was going to be less and not trigger this outcome per se. But what we have have here is just a total disaster in communication, a breakdown of governance and governing and people are the victims. And I've been covering this now what almost every day. There have been lots of other natural disasters that are not really getting significant reporting on. You know, in Missouri, in Kentucky, in Arkansas, in Mississippi, deadly storms, deadly tornadoes. Kentucky, where FEMA was late to respond or didn't respond at all in some cases and they had to be begged. Please show up, please show up. And also how Donald Trump's FEMA rejected supplemental assistance regarding Hurricane Helene's devastation to North Carolina and Georgia. Just rejecting it. No, we're not going to provide you any supplemental assistance at all. We'll keep following this every step of the way here on the Midas Touch Network. But just breaking down the facts for you. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for watching. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas substack for ad Free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free [e-mail].