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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Donald Trump and archetypal woman Melania Trump volition sojourn cardinal Texas connected Friday for a first-hand look astatine the demolition caused by deadly floodwaters successful the aboriginal greeting hours of the Fourth of July holiday.
The catastrophe has claimed astatine slightest 120 lives, and much than 160 radical stay missing.
Trump is acceptable to circuit flood-ravaged communities successful the state's Hill Country portion and is expected to underscore the White House’s adjacent coordination with authorities officials successful ongoing hunt and betterment efforts.
"There were existent pros liable for pulling retired a batch of people, and we got them determination fast," Trump said Tuesday astatine a astir two-hour gathering with his Cabinet. "Texas had immoderate bully ones too. The effect has been incredible."
Trump is expected to conscionable with section officials, archetypal responders and families affected by the flooding.
The travel comes arsenic Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requests further national assistance for the state's hardest-hit counties. Abbott has vowed to enactment betterment efforts until each victims are accounted for.
Abbott volition travel the president, on with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who visited the catastrophe portion Saturday.
Trump medication has pushed to shutter FEMA
Trump has already declared the Texas floods a major disaster, making national backing disposable to enactment exigency operations.
The medication has rejected disapproval that its past fund cuts contributed to a slower response.
Friday's travel comes amid increasing contention implicit the administration's push to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Noem: States should beryllium liable for exigency management
Noem has repeated a telephone for FEMA to beryllium eliminated, reiterating this week that states, not the national government, should pb exigency management.
“Texas is strong," she said during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. “We, arsenic a national government, don’t negociate these disasters. The authorities does. We travel successful and enactment them, and that’s precisely what we did present successful this situation.”
Noem said the medication is "cutting done the paperwork" and streamlining FEMA, aligning with Trump's imaginativeness to overhaul oregon destruct the agency.
Despite the national enactment presently successful Texas, Noem has blasted FEMA for what she called past failures.
“God created america to instrumentality attraction of each other," she said, emphasizing her penchant for Americans helping each different aft tragic events implicit actions by the national government.
FEMA to beryllium 'reformed,' not abolished: White House official
Despite Trump and Noem suggesting FEMA beryllium abolished, a White House authoritative told NewsNation Friday that the FEMA Review Council plans to "reform" the agency, adding that national effect is meant to "supplement authorities actions."
"While Federal assistance was ever intended to supplement authorities actions, not regenerate those actions, FEMA’s outsized relation created a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized authorities concern successful their ain resilience," the authoritative said successful a connection to NewsNation. "President Trump is committed to right-sizing the Federal authorities portion empowering State and section governments by enabling them to amended understand, program for, and yet code the needs of their citizens."
Trump established the FEMA Review Council by Executive Order, according to the official, and the assembly met this week and antecedently successful May. In November, the assembly is expected to merchandise a study with recommendations connected however to amended national catastrophe response.
Critics slam Trump for politicizing disaster
Critics person argued the medication is politicizing a captious bureau that helps states hole for earthy disasters astatine a clip erstwhile galore families are inactive waiting for answers and help.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
