The Trump Administration Is Making Weather Disasters Worse

As I write this the tragedy of the flooding in Kerr County (Texas) continues to get worse. At least 109 people were killed by the flash flooding and another 160 or so are still missing. The final death toll is going to be unbelievably horrific.

Donald Trump seemed to shrug it off, saying it was one of those once in a century events. That's reminiscent of Jone Ernst's statement that everyone is going to die. Or the thoughts and prayers the GOP offer because nothing can be done about gun violence. 

Maybe 20 or 30 years ago this would have been a once in a century event, but not today. Today, we seem to be experiencing these weather disaster far more often - and we know why. Our climate is changing. And we know the reason why it is changing - because to the massive overuse of fossil fuels.

As the chart above shows, the American people understand this, even if the Republicans in our federal government won't admit it. About 84% understand that climate change is due wholly or at least partially to human action. And about 55% know the government is not doing enough to solve the problem.

In fact, the Trump administration is actively trying to make the situation worse. He withdrew us from the Paris Climate Accords and is pushing for more oil and gas drilling. The bill just passed and signed into law would not only give subsidies for Big Oil, but would open government lands for more drilling. It also cuts funding and tax breaks for renewable energy and electric vehicles. These measures will make sure this nation (which is the leaders in fossil fuel burning) will not make any progress on solving the global climate change problem.

It gets even worse. While making climate change worse, the government is also stymying efforts to warn citizens of the increasing weather disasters it causes. Thanks to the DOGE cuts, the Weather Service is critically understaffed across the nation. The San Angelo and San Antonio government weather service (the closest to the Kerr County flooding disaster) were only staffed at 50% of pre-DOGE levels. And the position that was designed to make sure weather warnings actually reached the people needing them was not filled (thanks to the person in it being retired early by DOGE).

The Republicans are wrong when they say lives can't be saved and nothing can be done. We would save lives by fully and adequately addressing global climate change. We would save lives by fully funding the government weather service. And we would save lives by helping communities afford necessary rely warning systems. And we would save lives by restoring the cuts made to Medicaid and the ACA>

Trump and his GOP cohorts are so worried about cutting government that they are ignoring the good things that government can and must do for citizens - especially when it involves saving lives.