Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people.

For years, employees say, they've had to do more with less. But the ability to fill in the gaps became strained to the breaking point when the Trump administration began pushing new staffing cuts.

Deadly flood in Texas sparks a debate over whether recent cuts and staffing shortages led to a greater loss of life.

After deadly floodwaters swept through Central Texas, there are questions about the timeline of weather alerts and possible gaps in the warning system.

In the aftermath of deadly Hill Country flooding, Texas’ junior U.S. Senator is defending the National Weather Service, as questions surface over the agency’s forecast timing, urgency and

Trump’s NOAA pick stands by budget cuts, calls staffing ‘a top priority’ Neil Jacobs was not asked to weigh in on the Texas flooding disaster.

While the chances of having an event similar to what had occurred in Texas are significantly lower, it raised a question about staffing at local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. Southcentral Kentucky is observed by two NWS offices: Paducah and Louisville.

Cuts to the National Weather Service has ignited debate about the agency's ability to respond to emergency weather events, like the Hill Country floods.