A devastating flash flood in Central Texas that killed at least 82 people has brought out the worst in Democrats.
The death toll continues to rise from weekend floods that swept through Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River rose 25 feet in less than two hours. At least 28 children died, many swept away while sleeping in their cabins at a summer camp. Governor Greg Abbott said 41 people statewide are still missing as search and rescue efforts continue.
The tragedy became a political flashpoint when former Harvard President Larry Summers, who served as treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, appeared on ABC News Sunday and linked the deaths to Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” budget legislation.
“The Yale Budget Lab estimates that it will kill, over 10 years, 100,000 people,” Summers told George Stephanopoulos. “That is 2,000 days of death like we’ve seen in Texas this weekend.”
Others in the media soon followed with the ghoulish lies. Take a look —
No, there were not.
The local NWS office had 5 meteorologists on duty instead of the normal 2 because they anticipated the storm being an issue. There were no staffing shortfalls “in the region.” https://t.co/RSiGVvl0SO
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 6, 2025
This is a disgusting and false smear.
Even WIRED knows you are wrong.
"Meteorologists Say the National Weather Service Did Its Job in Texas" https://t.co/vVZn6Uvgc8 https://t.co/yOgHZkMG9J
— Alex Pfeiffer (@Pfeiffer47) July 6, 2025
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fired back on social media, calling the comments evidence of critics “lack of humanity and judgement.”
“Today, former Treasury Secretary @LHSummers showed why he was forced to step down as president of @Harvard: a lack of humanity and judgment,” Bessent wrote. “In a shockingly callous interview on @ThisWeekABC, Professor Summers proclaimed that the One Big, Beautiful Bill will cause ‘…2,000 days of death like we’ve seen in Texas this weekend.’ Using the horrifying situation in Texas for cheap political gain is unfathomable.”
“Such remarks are feckless and deeply offensive. Professor Summers should immediately issue a public apology for his toxic language,” Bessent said. “I hope the nonprofit and for-profit institutions with which he is affiliated will join me in this call. If he is unwilling or unable to acknowledge the cruelty of his remarks, they should consider Harvard’s example and make his unacceptable rhetoric grounds for dismissal.”
The Department of Homeland Security also pushed back against media criticism with a detailed timeline defending the National Weather Service response.
“The mainstream media is deliberately lying about the events leading up to the catastrophic flooding in Texas,” DHS posted on social media. “The National Weather Service executed timely, precise forecasting and warnings, despite unprecedented rainfall overwhelming the region.”
DHS provided specific examples of advanced warnings.
“Morning, July 3rd: NWS Austin/San Antonio conducts forecast briefings for emergency management, flagging flash flood risks,” and “4:03 AM, July 4th: Flash Flood Warning upgraded to Flash Flood Emergency for south-central Kerr County, including Hunt.”
The agency said the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for the Guadalupe River at 5:34 AM on July 4th, “signaling a ‘large and deadly flood wave.'”
“The National Weather Service provided over 12 hours of advance notice via the Flood Watch and over 3 hours of lead time for Flash Flood Warnings, with escalated alerts as the storm intensified,” DHS wrote.
Even some socialist voices criticized the politicization of the tragedy. Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, a Bernie Sanders supporter, condemned those using the deaths for political purposes.
The GOP’s budget cuts to NOAA are set to take effect at the start of fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1, 2025.
Anyone making the deaths of the children in Texas about partisan politics is morally bankrupt. Please reflect.
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) July 6, 2025