{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-cruz-urge-president-trump-to-grant-major-disaster-declaration-to-33-texas-counties-impacted-by-severe-weather/", "Cornyn, Cruz Urge President Trump to Grant Major Disaster Declaration to 33 Texas Counties Impacted by Severe Weather", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", "cornyn", "https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) today sent a letter of support for Texas Governor Greg Abbott\u2019s major disaster declaration request to President Donald J. Trump that would provide necessary response and recovery resources to 33 counties in Texas that were affected by severe rainfall and flash flooding this month.\n\nThey wrote: \u201cBeginning on July 12, 2026, multiple rounds of heavy rainfall produced severe flash flooding across the region, requiring sustained water rescue operations in Uvalde, Kerr, and surrounding counties. On July 14, 2026, Governor Abbott issued a state disaster declaration for 59 counties across the region and directed the continuation of emergency operations in support of affected communities.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2026The Governor and local officials have determined that the severity and magnitude of this incident exceed the response and recovery capabilities of the state and affected local governments.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe strongly support the Governor\u2019s request and urge you to approve a major disaster declaration authorizing Public Assistance, Categories A through G, and Direct Federal Assistance for the 33 counties included in the Emergency Declaration, along with statewide activation of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Program, and disaster-related tax relief through the Internal Revenue Service.\u201d\n\nThe full letter can be found here and below.\n\nJuly 21, 2026\n\nPresident Donald J. Trump\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\n\nWashington, D.C. 20500\n\nMr. President: Thank you for issuing a Federal Emergency Declaration for the 33 impacted counties in Texas and authorizing FEMA to provide emergency protective measures. The State of Texas, through the Office of the Governor, has made a formal request for a major disaster declaration as a result of the severe weather and flash flooding impacting South Central and Southwest Texas.\n\nBeginning on July 12, 2026, multiple rounds of heavy rainfall produced severe flash flooding across the region, requiring sustained water rescue operations in Uvalde, Kerr, and surrounding counties. On July 14, 2026, Governor Abbott issued a state disaster declaration for 59 counties across the region and directed the continuation of emergency operations in support of affected communities. Preliminary assessments have identified thousands of flood-impacted structures, and statewide response and recovery costs are currently estimated at approximately $489.7 million.\n\nThe Governor and local officials have determined that the severity and magnitude of this incident exceed the response and recovery capabilities of the state and affected local governments. Many of the impacted communities are still recovering from the catastrophic July 2025 flooding, and several of the counties included in this request sustained damage in both events. The recurrence of major flooding before prior recovery efforts are complete has placed an extraordinary burden on these communities.\n\nWe strongly support the Governor\u2019s request and urge you to approve a major disaster declaration authorizing Public Assistance, Categories A through G, and Direct Federal Assistance for the 33 counties included in the Emergency Declaration, along with statewide activation of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Program, and disaster-related tax relief through the Internal Revenue Service.\n\nWe stand ready to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies to ensure a swift evaluation of this request and the prompt deployment of the resources Texans need to recover. Thank you for your consideration and for your continued support of the State of Texas.\n\nSincerely,\n\n/s/", 1, "2026-07-22T07:34:13Z", "2026-07-22T07:35:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-cruz-urge-president-trump-to-grant-major-disaster-declaration-to-33-texas-counties-impacted-by-severe-weather/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.876719132065773, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}