The Latest: Trump will visit Texas to survey flood damage

President Donald Trump will head to Texas for a firsthand look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people, which the administration has characterized as a once-in-a-lifetime event.

While the administration isn’t backing away from its pledges to shutter the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return disaster response to the states as part of Trump’s push to slash federal services, it has lessened its focus on the topic since the July 4 disaster, underscoring how tragedy can complicate political calculations.

The president is expected to do an aerial tour of some of the hard-hit areas, a relatively common practice that allows presidents to visit disaster sites and hopefully ease logistical burdens for authorities on the ground. The White House also says he’ll visit the state emergency operations center to meet with first responders and relatives of flood victims. Trump will also get a briefing from officials.

Here’s the latest:

The State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees

The firings Friday are in line with a dramatic reorganization plan unveiled by the Trump administration earlier this year.

The department is sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers with domestic assignments in the United States, said a senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters ahead of individual notices being emailed to affected employees.

Foreign service officers affected will be placed immediately on administrative leave for 120 days, after which they’ll formally lose their jobs, according to an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press. For most affected civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said.

President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Republican allies have lauded the move as overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient.

But the cuts have been roundly criticized by current and former diplomats who say they’ll weaken U.S. influence and its ability to counter existing and emerging threats abroad.

— Matthew Lee