WATCH: Swalwell Under Fire After Advancing Thoroughly Debunked Flood Hoax

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is calling for an investigation on the basis of a thoroughly-debunked hoax claiming that Trump-directed cuts to the National Weather Service amplified the damage and loss of life in the catastrophic floods in Central Texas.

Democrat lawmakers flooded social media over the weekend to claim that cuts to the national weather service — which have not even taken place — played a primary role in the flooding that has killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children. “I don’t think it’s helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to prevent these tragedies,” Rep Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said Saturday as search-and-rescue efforts were ongoing.

The claim was repeated on a number of mainstream media outlets, including ABC News, which recently agreed to a multi-million-dollar settlement with President Trump over false reporting on the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. “We’re also learning there were significant staffing shortfalls to the National Weather Services offices in the region,” reported George Stephanopoulos, who was responsible for the defamation suit, told his viewers.

On Sunday afternoon, the claim was thoroughly debunked by the National Weather Service, which revealed that it had sent out early warnings of potential flash floods and had extra staffers on-hand to deal with the potential severity of the storms that caused the Guadalupe River to overflow. “The WFOs [weather forecasting offices] had adequate staffing and resources as they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm,” said Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization.

Independent meteorologists and a former NWS official told NBC News that warnings issued in the run-up to the flooding were “about as timely and accurate as could be expected with the weather data available in real time.” Both sources stated that predicting extreme rain and flash flooding beyond several hours is extremely warning, and it is not always easy to get word to those most at risk.

“The forecasting was good. The warnings were good. It’s always about getting people to receive the message,” said Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist based in Wisconsin. “It appears that is one of the biggest contributors — that last mile.”

Despite the fact that the claim has been debunked by multiple sources, Rep. Swalwell is continuing to repeat the hoax and is calling on Congress to launch a formal investigation.

“I do think as lawmakers, we have a responsibility to look at did cuts affect the ability for folks on the ground and at the camp to have an earlier, better warning? But this is really going to should we just attack government for government’s sake?” Swalwell told CNN. “For the last six months, we’ve seen an effort to undermine the hard work of government workers, whether it’s air traffic controllers who keep planes from colliding in the air, or FEMA first responders who go into the hardest hit places in America.”

“My job is to make sure that we put resources in place to keep people safe. Our primary job as lawmakers is the safety of the public. If there’s a possibility that cuts at that agency affected the safety of those girls, we should understand that, and we should do better as we make funding decisions in the future,” the far-left lawmaker continued.

“But again, right now, you know, as they’re still looking for missing people, I understand the sensitivity around the issue. Again, first and foremost, I’m a parent and this is just heartbreaking. No parent wants to have to think that this could happen when their kid goes to camp. So lawmakers should get serious about resources we put in place.”