President Donald Trump arrived Friday in Texas for a firsthand look at the devastation from the state’s catastrophic flooding, but he has remained conspicuously quiet about his previous promises to do away with the federal agency in charge of disaster relief.
The Trump administration isn’t backing away from its pledges to shutter the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return disaster response to the states. But since the July 4 disaster, which has killed at least 120 people and left more than 170 missing, the president has focused on the once-in-a-lifetime nature of what occurred and the human tragedy rather than the government-slashing crusade that’s been popular with Trump’s core supporters.
“It’s a horrible thing,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House. He approved Texas’ request to extend the major disaster declaration beyond Kerr County to eight additional counties, making them eligible for direct financial assistance to recover and rebuild.
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