‘These Offices Were Fully Staffed’: Karoline Leavitt Corrects The Record On National Weather Service
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt set the record straight on Monday after multiple media outlets had blamed President Donald Trump’s administration for what they claimed was a lack of necessary staffing at the National Weather Service (NWS).
Multiple reports have circulated — in the wake of devastating flash flooding in central Texas — suggesting that Trump’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government through the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had led to a shortage of key staffers in the Texas NWS offices responsible for warning the local population in the event of a flood.
Leavitt pushed back, saying that the offices in question were, in fact, fully staffed.
WATCH:
.@PressSec dispels the fake news around National Weather Service staffing in the wake of the weekend’s devastating Texas flooding: “The San Angelo office was fully staffed with 12 forecast meteorologists … The San Antonio office was operating with 11 forecasters.” pic.twitter.com/sk5rPG1Tv1
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2025
“Are there concerns within the White House or from the president himself that the cuts that happened under Musk while he was advising DOGE, including the National Weather Service?” one reporter asked.
“I think I’ve already addressed that … and what I can tell you is that these offices were fully staffed,” Leavitt explained. “The San Angelo office was fully staffed with 12 forecast meteorologists, there were no vacancies. The San Antonio office was operating with 11 forecasters, and … the union themselves said that there was adequate staffing, so I think those words speak for themselves, and the numbers speak for themselves.”
“This was a once-in-a-century flash flood, a tragic natural disaster, and the administration is doing all that we can on the ground to help these families during this time of need,” she added.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he planned to visit the flood-ravaged state in the near future, but wanted to wait until his presence would not be a hindrance to relief efforts.