Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift Passionately Criticize Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ for Slashing NOAA Funding, Leaving Texas Hill Country Vulnerable to Deadly Floods

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Speak Out Against Trump’s NOAA Cuts Amid Devastating Texas Hill Country Floods

July 6, 2025

In the wake of catastrophic flash flooding in Texas Hill Country that has claimed at least 70 lives, including 21 children, pop superstar Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce have publicly criticized former President Donald Trump’s budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS). The couple, known for their high-profile relationship and influential platforms, linked the tragic loss of life to staffing shortages and reduced forecasting capabilities caused by Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping legislative measure signed into law on July 4, 2025, that slashed federal agency budgets, including NOAA’s.

A Tragic Deluge in Texas

The Texas Hill Country, a region west of Austin, was ravaged by unprecedented flash flooding on July 4, 2025, when the Guadalupe River surged from 7 feet to nearly 30 feet in just 90 minutes, triggered by over a foot of rain falling overnight. The disaster, described as a “mass casualty event,” obliterated campgrounds, washed away homes, and left communities reeling. Among the hardest hit was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County, where 11 girls and one counselor remain missing as of July 6, 2025. The death toll, reported at 70 statewide, includes four in Travis County, three in Burnet County, two in Kendall County, and one each in Tom Green and Williamson counties, with search and rescue operations ongoing amid fears of more rainfall.

Local officials and meteorologists have pointed to the rapid onset of the flooding and the region’s vulnerability to flash floods as key factors in the tragedy. However, many are questioning whether inadequate warnings and forecasting failures exacerbated the disaster, with fingers pointing to recent federal budget cuts that gutted NOAA and NWS resources.

Swift and Kelce’s Outspoken Criticism

In a joint statement posted to their social media platforms on July 5, 2025, Swift and Kelce expressed their heartbreak over the Texas floods and directly addressed the impact of Trump’s policies. “Our hearts are with the families who have lost loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy,” the statement read. “But we cannot stay silent when decisions made in Washington have left communities like Texas Hill Country defenseless. The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ slashed critical funding and staff from NOAA and the National