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.

In the five months since Trump chose Neil Jacobs as NOAA administrator, hundreds of NOAA scientists and meteorologists have left the agency through a combination of firings, buyouts and retirements.

Devastating floods in central Texas have resulted in a tragic loss of life, prompting scrutiny of the nation's emergency response. Despite earlier proposals to reduce FEMA's role, the Trump administration is now emphasizing the agency's swift assistance to Texas,