Hurricane season is here, and according to government forecasts it’s shaping up to be brutal. And then comes wildfire season, which is growing more destructive in the West. The U.S. just faced the worst tornado season in more than a decade.
You wouldn’t know it by the Trump administration’s approach to disaster preparation.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in disarray, and President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem want to dismantle the disaster response agency altogether at the end of this year, leaving states to fend for themselves.
It’s eerily reminiscent of the summer of 2005, when hasty organizational changes, brain drain and unqualified leadership plagued FEMA in the lead up to its catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina. The images we saw along the Gulf Coast then shocked the nation, and communities are still recovering to this day.
As we approach the 20-year anniversary of that catastrophe, this administration seems dead set on repeating history’s mistakes.
Storms — and other dangerous weather events — are getting more frequent and more destructive, and the Trump administration is leaving America dangerously unprepared for the challenges ahead.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has implemented drastic changes — without the consent of Congress — that significantly weaken FEMA’s ability to respond to hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, heat-induced blackouts and other disasters.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency forced out 2,000 full-time FEMA employees — nearly one third of its workforce — and subjected dozens of non-partisan employees to polygraph tests to determine their political loyalty. A recent report found that the White House wasn’t notifying them when Trump signed major disaster declarations, with staff learning of approvals only days later.
On top of all of this, President Trump’s pick to lead the agency is woefully underqualified. Acting administrator David Richardson does not hold the qualifications required by law for his job, and has no experience leading natural disaster response. In fact, he was apparently unaware the U.S. even has a hurricane season.
As Trump hobbles FEMA’s disaster preparation, he’s also playing politics with federal funding for recovery. So far, almost every approved disaster declaration has been for Republican-led states, while requests from Democratic governors — including Washington — remain pending or have been denied outright. Even conservatives have had to grovel to Trump for federal assistance.
This all-out assault on FEMA begs the question: When disaster strikes, will Americans be able to count on support from the federal government? Or will they be left to fend for themselves?
We are not arguing that FEMA is perfect; it is not. The agency needs serious overhaul to make it more efficient and more effective.
But the answer isn’t to shutter the agency altogether. Now is the time for Congress, and leaders from red and blue states alike, to speak truth to power — before it’s too late.
Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) is ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) is ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure’s Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee.
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