1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing again about the desperate need to fully fund and staff NOAA, the National Weather Service, and FEMA. This Republican administration has slashed the budgets and staff of those critical agencies. Those reckless cuts played a significant role in the 100+ deaths from the recent flooding in Central Texas. More flooding is expected in the Hill Country. We are in the middle of hurricane season. How many more Texans will die in weather-related catastrophes due to lack of forecasts and warnings? How many flooding survivors are suffering now because FEMA cannot help them? Robust weather forecasting saves lives, and the American people deserve a fully operational early warning system. Prioritizing budgetary savings over emergency preparedness has proven to have catastrophic consequences. Given the death and destruction in these floods, how much money was truly saved with those cuts? This Republican administration is responsible for this deadly failure. You, as a member of Congress, have the power to rectify that before more tragedies occur. My wife and I urge you to fight to restore full funding and staffing at NOAA, NWS, FEMA, and other agencies critical to forecasting and mitigating extreme weather impacts. The safety and economic security of our nation depend on robust investment in these vital agencies.