House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing angry criticism after he appeared on Fox News to remark on the deadly flooding in Texas that has killed hundreds, claiming that all Congress "knows to do at this moment is pray" in response to the disaster.
Speaking during the ongoing search and rescue operations, Johnson spoke as the people of Texas continue to raise mounting questions about the effectiveness of current warning systems and whether more could have been done in advance to prevent the loss of life.
Rather than offer any thoughtful solutions or assurances that Congress is working to provide assistance to those impacted, Johnson suggested that politicians are just as helpless as the disaster's victims, ultimately abdicating his responsibility to serve the public as one of the most powerful political leaders in Washington.
He said:
“In a moment like this, we feel just as helpless as everyone else does ... It touches so many families and all we know to do at this moment is pray.”
Johnson noted that he had spoken with Texas Republican Chip Roy, whose district was impacted, as well as Roy's fellow Texan August Pfluger, whose daughters were at a camp that was inundated. Johnson also mentioned that the granddaughters of Georgia Republican Buddy Carter were attending the same camp.
He continued:
“Every available resource has been deployed. The president, of course, is dialed in and watching this develop moment by moment, as we are."
"We will handle supplemental funding requests as they come in, but right now they’re still trying to do rescue and recovery, and our hearts go out to all of them."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Johnson's remarks conveniently ignore the fact that he supported the efforts of billionaire Elon Musk's advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that have adversely impacted the nation's preparedness systems.
Severe cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) have compromised the ability of meteorologists to deliver accurate forecasts.
The NWS recently announced that it will be hiring new meteorologists and specialists to "stabilize" the agency but concerns remain as climate change increases the probability of deadly and unprecedented weather events.
Johnson was swiftly condemned for his remarks.
The death toll from the floods has risen to at least 104, with Kerr County—northwest of San Antonio—suffering the most severe impact. At least 84 people died there, including 28 children.
Other counties also reported fatalities: seven in Travis, six in Kendall, four in Burnet, two in Williamson, and one in Tom Green. Twenty-four people remain missing, among them 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County.
Meanwhile, growing scrutiny surrounds the effectiveness of emergency notifications during the disaster. Although mobile alerts were sent out overnight, factors such as signal strength and individual phone settings may have affected their reach. The mayor of Kerrville, one of the hardest-hit cities, said he never received an alert.
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