President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected accusations from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that federal staffing cuts hampered warnings ahead of last week’s deadly floods in Texas Hill Country. Trump called Schumer’s criticism “a tough one to take,” adding that the New York senator’s career is “limited because I hear AOC is going to beat him,” a reference to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s rumored 2028 Senate bid. Schumer has asked a government watchdog to examine vacancies at National Weather Service offices in San Antonio and San Angelo, arguing that short-staffing may have delayed alerts. The Democratic National Committee has similarly linked the death toll—now above 100—to personnel reductions ordered by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. Federal forecasters and outside meteorologists dispute the charge. The NWS says its Texas offices had extra staff on duty and issued flash-flood warnings more than three hours before rivers overflowed. Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza wrote that he had “seen absolutely nothing to suggest current staffing or budget issues played any role at all in this event.” While Democrats press for an investigation, the White House maintains that existing systems functioned properly and that the focus should remain on recovery efforts and accounting for the missing.