Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives.

Some Democratic leaders are calling for an investigation into the National Weather Service to determine if the reported staffing shortages affected the forecast and response to the holiday weekend’s flash floods.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later began her briefing on the offensive, calling out those who've questioned whether federal cuts to the NWS impacted staffing levels or forecasting abilities as the tragedy unfolded.