President Trump and Vice President Pence have finished a second cabinet meeting to discuss the federal response to Hurricane Harvey, which crashed into the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday and has continued to drench cities like Houston with unsustainable amounts of rainfall.
“President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives,” a White House statement read Sunday.
Trump and the team also used the opportunity to say people in the area affected by the storm should follow the instructions of local officials first when deciding what to do.
Earlier in the day, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised the federal response effort.
“Everything we have asked for, [the federal government] has given us,” Abbott said on ABC’s This Week.
However, the crisis in Texas hasn’t been without its moments of political drama.
For example, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, criticized the president for tweeting about politics at the same time much of the nation’s focus was on the residents of Texas.
Although it is now downgraded to a tropical storm, Harvey hit the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. After making land, the storm stalled in its speed and winds, but then kept drenching the region with rainfall.
“The President and Vice President continue to extend their thoughts and prayers to those affected and recognize the many volunteer and faith-based organizations dedicating time and efforts to helping fellow Americans,” the White House readout said.
