Focus

Storm over budget cuts

By Lisa Friedman, Maxine Joselow, Coral Davenport and And Megan Mineiro
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, together with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, getting a briefing at Kerrville, Texas, after deadly floods claimed at least 120 lives in the area on July 11. As a warming planet delivers more extreme weather, experts warn that the Trump administration is dismantling the government’s disaster capabilities. — Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

IN a sweeping bid to shrink the federal government, US President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are pushing changes that experts say weaken the country’s ability to anticipate, prepare for and respond to extreme weather disasters.

Staff reductions, budget cuts and institutional overhauls are already leaving gaps at the National Weather Service, the agency tasked with issuing life-saving warnings.

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