Gov. Greg Abbott is facing fierce criticism after dismissing questions about state and local officials' response to the deadly Texas Hill Country flooding, calling efforts to assign blame "the word choice of losers" and likening the ongoing disaster to a football game.

The special session agenda includes 18 legislative priorities, with several directly addressing the recent disaster.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) pushed back against a football analogy made by Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday, saying the catastrophic flooding in the state and the region’s response to the disaster is “not a game.

The Republican governor laid out an ambitious agenda that includes an unexpected array of conservative bills that failed during the regular session.

In the Austin area, 12 people are still missing and 16 are known to have perished after rain swept away homes along rivers and creeks.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd were asked about the response to deadly flash flooding during a press briefing in Kerrville, Texas.

The claim spread widely on social media after the floods that devastated the Lone Star State in early July 2025.

Texas leaders across political lines urge prayer for flood victims as the state, ranked third most religious in the U.S., copes with devastating floods that have claimed at least 80 lives.