Schumer demands investigation of Trump Weather Service vacancies in wake of Texas flooding

Source: The Hill

07/07/25 11:07 AM ET


Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is demanding that the Commerce Department’s inspector general investigate vacancies at National Weather Service offices and whether they increased the death toll in recent flash flooding in Texas.

Schumer wrote in a Monday letter to Roderick Anderson, the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general, urging him to immediately “open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding.”

He noted that The New York Times reported that key forecasting and coordination positions at the San Antonio and San Angelo offices of the NWS were vacant at the time of the Friday storm. Those local offices were missing a warning coordination meteorologist, a science officer and a senior hydrologist, among other “vital forecasting, meteorology and coordination roles.”

“These are the experts responsible for modeling storm impacts, monitoring rising water levels, issuing flood warnings, and coordinating directly with local emergency managers about when to warn the public and issue evacuation orders,” Schumer wrote. “To put it plainly: they help save lives,” he added.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5387650-texas-flooding-flash-flood-camp-mystic-schumer-trump-weather-service-vacancies-nws/