Texas will receive $50.5 million in disaster recovery assistance “from the severe storms, winds, tornadoes, and flooding that hit them hard,” President Donald Trump announced Tuesday in a post on Truth Social.
It wasn’t clear which storm Trump meant: His 5:42 p.m. post went up just hours after Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border and was pushing inland into southeast Texas. But communities in southwest Texas have been waiting more than six weeks for federal disaster assistance from floods that struck in July.
The announced funding was still only a fraction of Gov. Greg Abbott’s initial estimate of $489.7 million in costs from the July storms, which Abbott cited in his first ask for federal help to aid state and local governments for debris removal and restoring infrastructure such as roads, buildings and parks. He also requested funding for individuals which can cover a variety of expenses such as short-term housing and building repair.
Before Tuesday’s post, Trump had only approved limited federal emergency assistance so far for those floods, which is typically capped at $5 million.
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FEMA also did not immediately respond. In its daily operations briefing, FEMA did not show that Trump had approved or denied the major disaster declaration needed to unlock the significant funding that communities were seeking. The FEMA disaster webpage also showed no additional funding approved as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
“Texas is a special place, and I will be back soon to support Governor Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, and the entire ticket of Republican Candidates, who have my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote in the post.
The Texas Tribune reported Friday that more than six weeks after the severe July flooding, residents and local governments were still waiting on major recovery funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with short-term individual needs and more permanent infrastructure repairs. The areas harmed included Kerr County, which was struck by deadly flooding in 2025 and still building back from that when the 2026 flooding hit.
Research by Andrew Rumbach, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, has shown that major federal disaster funding decisions are taking roughly three times longer on average under the current administration than under previous administrations since 2000, when the typical wait was about three weeks.
In a post on X Wednesday morning, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, thanked the president for the funds but also didn’t specify how the money would be used or where it would be directed. His spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
“We will keep working together to ensure every affected community has the resources and support it needs to rebuild and recover,” Cruz wrote. “I’ll continue working to make sure no community is left behind.”
