Rachel Maddow introduces viewers to the unfamiliar image of Donald Trump's pick to lead FEMA, David Richardson, who finally made an appearance in Texas more than a week after flooding killed scores of people.

Cuts made to the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Trump administration severely impaired its ability to respond to the devastating floods in central Texas.

Weeks before flash floods devastated the Texas Hill Country, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) participated in the first meeting of a new council to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He criticized FEMA as “slow and clunky,” arguing that states are able to respond “more nimbly, more swiftly, more effectively” to disasters.

Just days into his second term, President Trump said he was going to recommend that the Federal Emergency Management Agency “go away,” dismissing the agency as bloated and ine

Just weeks ago, President Donald Trump said he wanted to begin “phasing out” the Federal Emergency Management Agency after this hurricane season to “wean off of FEMA” and “bring it down to the state level.

The Odessa American is the leading source of local news, information, entertainment and sports for the Permian Basin.

By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz Indiana Capital Chronicle For The Republic Indiana’s elite Task Force One has deployed 35 more emergency responders for search and recovery efforts to flood-devastated Texas.

A flood watch is in effect into July 15 for more than a dozen counties as saturated ground gets drenched again.