Many victims of the recent flooding did not have flood insurance when water washed away homes, cars and belongings.

The Department of Homeland Security secretary defended the federal government's response and denied that policy changes slowed the agency's deployment.

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.

There are questions over why oversight was eased at Mystic Camp as it expanded in a hazardous floodplain, the AP reported.

The federal response to the flash flooding disaster in Texas has come under scrutiny. President Trump, who has called for cuts to FEMA, praised the agency during his recent visit to Texas, but did not comment on his plans for its future.

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

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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.