As Texas reels from devastating flash floods that have left at least 69 dead along the Guadalupe River, CNN anchor Dana Bash is drawing sharp criticism for suggesting that the disaster was partly caused by climate change — and even more controversially, by policies from President Donald Trump’s administration.
During Sunday’s State of the Union, Bash interviewed Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) about the ongoing crisis. But rather than focus strictly on the emergency response or the families impacted, Bash pivoted to climate politics, asking Castro to weigh in on what she called the role of “the changing climate” in the disaster.
“These floods are happening more often in more parts of the country and really all over the world,” Castro responded, agreeing that climate change was a factor. “We have to face that reality and be better prepared for it and combat it.”
CNN’s Dana Bash identifies two possible causes for the Texas flooding tragedy in questions to Dem Rep Castro:
Climate change and the Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/v3SHssccmA
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 6, 2025
But Bash didn’t stop there. She pointed to the National Weather Service, alleging that staff vacancies caused by Trump-era policies might have hindered the government’s ability to warn Texans about the danger in time.
“A director of the NWS Union told CNN that the Austin and San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist due to the Trump administration’s buyouts,” Bash said, pressing Castro to suggest that those cuts could have led to missed or delayed warnings.
While Castro admitted he couldn’t say “conclusively” whether staffing issues played a role in the failure to evacuate, he hinted that the theory was plausible.
Critics blasted the exchange, calling it an overt attempt to politicize a natural disaster while search and rescue operations are still underway. Others noted that the Trump-era buyouts occurred years ago and that the Department of Homeland Security has already released a detailed timeline showing that the National Weather Service issued timely and repeated warnings more than 12 hours in advance — contradicting the claim that the system had failed.
The DHS memo further confirmed that forecasting was “timely and precise,” and that emergency alerts escalated in real time as the storm intensified.
