Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said without staffing cuts to the National Weather Service, Texans would have received an “earlier, better warning” of the flood. Swalwell echoed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-CA) in blaming the NWS layoffs in February for the slow response time to the floods,

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later began her briefing on the offensive, calling out those who've questioned whether federal cuts to the NWS impacted staffing levels or forecasting abilities as the tragedy unfolded.