Cuts made to the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Trump administration severely impaired its ability to respond to the devastating floods in central Texas.

The homeland security secretary said a report that thousands of calls to a disaster hotline went unanswered because of staffing cuts was “false.”

AUSTIN ( A company spokesperson said H-E-B prioritizes disaster relief because “it’s important to us for Texans to take care of Texans, and that’s who we are.” Lisa Helfman, managing director of H-E-B public affairs,