CNN —
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency after this year’s hurricane season, offering the clearest timeline yet for his administration’s long-term plans to dismantle the disaster relief agencyand shift responsibility for response and recovery onto states.
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office, later saying, “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
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Hear that all you Southern states that are prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.? You’re on your own.
Needless to say this is absurd. We have a Federal Emergency Management Agency because many natural disasters are too big for any state to handle, so we move federal resources around to mitigate harm of those affected.
Can anyone imagine a poor state like Mississippi trying to deal with a hurricane on their own?
From the other thread on this:
Where is the money coming from? He's backing away from providing federal funds. Look how crass and cavalier he and Noem are, re: people's lives, homes, and livelihoods:
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office, later saying, “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
Trump added that the federal government will start distributing less federal aid for disaster recovery and that the funding will come directly from the president’s office.
For months, Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, have vowed to eliminate the agency, repeatedly criticizing it as ineffective and unnecessary. Noem reiterated those plans Tuesday in the Oval Office, saying
FEMA “fundamentally needs to go away as it exists.” link
See the red text? He wants to pick and choose what states, what regions, what voting districts, etc get federal $$ assistance when lives and homes are on the line. Do you think this is appropriate? Do you think he'll be punitive?
FEMA is not a bank, it's a distribution network and infrastructure. It's about how to get emergency
CREWS and equipment to people fast. The $$ for individuals comes later, for rebuilding but the $$ for emergency response needs to be there immediately. States dont necessarily have those resources, FEMA is a centralized unit that can make those things available as needed, even reused. Do you see the value in this? Please explain how this is an unnecessary burden on the national debt? Arent living persons and open businesses and drivable roads and bridges better for the economy?
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