Democrats on the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee are demanding an explanation about staffing shortages at the National Weather Service following the deadly floods in south Texas.
They also accused Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of cutting too deep in making staff reductions.
The Ranking member, California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren joined Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Gabe Amo in sending a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Lutnick demanding he testify before the Committee to explain his plan to address staff shortages at the National Weather Service (NWS).
The letter comes after the devastating flooding in Central Texas that has since called into question whether the Trump Administration’s mass firing and intimidation of federal employees may have impaired the ability of the NWS to carry out its mission.
“The dangers arising from that crisis have been laid bare in the wake of the horrifying, tragic flooding that struck parts of Central Texas on July 4th. While it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions about what happened, it is already clear that this is precisely the type of situation in which the existence of a short-staffed, depleted NWS heightens the risk of tragedy,” wrote the two House members.
“We write to you to demand your testimony before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology regarding staff shortages at the National Weather Service (NWS) and your plan to address them,” said the Members in the letter.
Calling the National Weather Service a “critical public safety agency,” Reps. Lofgren and Amo said there will be more such extreme weather events.
“It will take time to fully understand whether any part of this past weekend’s tragedy in Texas could have been avoided,” the Members continued. “We cannot rush to judgment based on the limited information available to us now. But it is apparent to us, Secretary Lutnick, that your actions to drastically slash staffing at the National Weather Service have increased the broader risks to Americans of extreme weather events by impairing the ability of the NWS to do its job. Simply put, you cut too deep. You refused to listen to the warnings from experts, from Congress, and from the NWS itself. And the flooding in Central Texas illustrates, in the most terrible fashion, the disastrous risks you invite by taking the lifesaving role of the NWS for granted.”
Access the letter here.
