Texas Floods Spark Debate Over DOGE Cuts and NOAA Failures

🌀 Overview & Context

This Spooky Connections investigation connects the July 2025 catastrophic floods in Texas with deep staffing and funding cuts at NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) under Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

💸 What Was Slashed

• DOGE eliminated hundreds of NOAA jobs, including NWS meteorologists and balloon-launch teams.
• Specialized weather labs and forecasting programs were dismantled, threatening core climate and severe weather monitoring.

⏰ Impact on Warnings

• Experts contend that these cuts delayed or diminished flood alerts, preventing timely evacuations—particularly at Camp Mystic, where dozens died.
• Critics point to vacancies in key NWS offices and reduced forecasting capacity in the months leading to July.

⚖️ Official Responses

• The White House insists NOAA’s warning systems functioned properly, attributing the disaster to the scale of the flooding, not funding decisions.
• Senate Democrats—including Schumer—have called for an Inspector General probe into whether DOGE’s cuts contributed to the tragedy.

(Summary generated by ChatGPT, GPT‑4‑turbo, July 2025)