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You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition - August 30, 2017
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This is the August 30, 2017, edition of an email sent from November 2016 to September 2017 that covered Donald Trump's presidential transition, cabinet appointees, and the different policy positions of those individuals who may have had an effect on the new administration. Previous editions of "You're Hired" can be found here.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday night on the coast of Texas between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, dumping more than 11 billion gallons of water on the state by Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service, Harvey has broken the record for the most rainfall from a tropical storm in the contiguous U.S. at nearly 52 inches.
At least 30 people are suspected or confirmed to have been killed in flood-related incidents. The storm has also had significant economic consequences, including an estimated $50 billion in damages. One-fifth of American oil refining capacity has also been impacted.
Today, we will track how the Trump administration has responded to Harvey, the first major natural disaster since President Donald Trump took office.
Thursday, August 24
- Trump tweeted, “As #HurricaneHarvey intensifies - remember to #PlanAhead.” The tweet included links to three government websites related to emergency preparedness.
Friday, August 25
- Trump tweeted that he had received a briefing on the storm from acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Brock Long, and two other staffers. He also noted in a second tweet that he had spoken with Greg Abbott (R-Texas) and John Bel Edwards (D-La.), the governors of the states expected to be impacted most by the storm.
- Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert held a press conference where he discussed Hurricane Harvey. “As you might know, the secretary of Homeland Security and the FEMA administrator are responsible for bringing together the firepower of federal government to assist the state and local governments but the state and local governments are in the lead here,” Bossert said.
- Trump issued a major disaster declaration in Texas. Grants for temporary housing and home repairs and funding on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work were made available to certain counties.
Saturday, August 26
- Trump tweeted frequently, expressing appreciation for Long and volunteers and commenting about the historic nature of the storm.
- Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price declared a public health emergency in Louisiana, allowing certain documentation requirements for Medicaid to be waived so affected beneficiaries without health records could receive care.
Sunday, August 27
- FEMA tweeted that it had deployed more than 1,800 staff members to Texas. Other resources sent include one million meals, one million liters of water, more than 70 generators, and 14 urban search and rescue teams.
Monday, August 28
- Trump issued an emergency declaration in Louisiana, which allows federal assistance to supplement local state, tribal, and local responses to the storm.
- Price declared a public health emergency in Louisiana. He said in a statement, “The people of Louisiana who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP for their healthcare needs can be confident that this declaration will allow their care to continue despite the toll this disaster has taken in their communities.” Approximately 550 HHS personnel were also sent to the affected areas to offer assistance.
Tuesday, August 29
- Trump traveled to Texas to survey the damage caused by Harvey with visits to Corpus Christi and the command center in Austin. He reportedly did not visit Houston or an area more directly impacted by the storm to avoid straining resources in the recovery areas. “Probably there's never been anything so expensive in our country's history. There's never been anything so historic in terms of damage and in terms of ferocity as—as what we've witnessed with Harvey,” Trump said. He said of his hopes for the response efforts, “We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at five years, 10 years from now, as this is the way to do it.”
- Gov. Chris Christie (R), who was in office when Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey, praised Trump. He said, "President Trump has put together a great team of folks to go with him to Texas. This is not some type of photo op. This a working time where he sits with [Texas] Governor [Greg] Abbott and they figure out what’s really needed … and it will form the basis of a relationship that’s going to continue for months going forward to make sure that challenges are met. So I think that President Trump has done an extraordinary job so far. He and the first lady are right to be down there."
- Former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer criticized Trump’s remarks in Texas. "There was something missing from what President Trump said, that’s the empathy for the people who suffer. In my opinion, that should’ve been the first thing he said, that his heart goes out to those people in Houston who are going through this and that the government is here to help them recover from this,” Fleischer said.
- Abbott praised the Trump administration’s response, saying, “About 10 days in advance of the hurricane even coming into the Corpus Christi area, members of the president’s Cabinet and the president himself were in contact with me and my office pre-preparing for this catastrophe that was coming our way.”
- Edwards similarly said in an interview on CNN, “Well, first of all, let me tell you the federal government has been excellent. The president has called twice. He signed the declaration we requested within a few hours of our making the request on Sunday evening. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Duke has been wonderful. And, FEMA administrator Brock has been great, as well.”
- FEMA tweeted an updated list of resources it had placed in Texas and Louisiana: more than 8,800 federal employees, nearly 3 million meals and liters of water, and more than 1,100 urban search and rescue personnel.
Wednesday, August 30
- Trump tweeted, “After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey,my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas!”
- The State Department confirmed that it had received an offer of assistance from Mexico. “In the event that federal assets are not available to meet a specific request, FEMA works with the State Department to coordinate and evaluate any offers of support from a foreign nation that may assist in meeting that need,” a State Department official said.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump would travel to storm-affected areas on Saturday.
See also
- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition
- Donald Trump presidential transition team
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