Thinking about closing the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday, President Trump said that states could do better to deal with disasters.
“When you have such a problem, I think you want to go, whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it,” Mr. Trump said, Ashil, The NC said, which was destroyed by the remains. Hurricane Helen last year.
Mr Trump added, “I think we are going to suggest that we go to FEMA and we pay directly – we pay a percentage to the state,” Mr Trump added. “The state should fix it.”
Mr Trump does not have the option to close FEMA, which will require Congress action. Historically, legislators from both parties have supported the FEMA, knowing that their district or state may need the help of the agency at any time.
Mr Trump misrepresented the FEMA’s role, which is only to help the state and local authorities if those personnel are unable to respond to the disasters on their own, and only on the request of the governor.
In an interview with Mr Trump’s first term, Pet Genor, who runs the FEMA, said that the disaster reaction is “performed locally, the state is administered and federally supported.” He said the agency is a back -stop, not the first accountable.
Mr Trump’s statements in North Carolina are echoing the remarks that he made in one Wednesday night. Interview on Fox NewsSaying that “FEMA is hindering everything.” Referring to Oklahoma, he said: “If they hit the storm or something, let Oklahoma fix it. You do not need it – and then the federal government can help them with money.
FEMA’s staff “feels fraudulent and frightened by Mr Trump’s comments,” said an employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. The employee said, “Our employees have been repeatedly present for the American people.” “We already had a burnout problem in this agency that its statement and interview only put on steroids.”
Project 2025, the Blue Print for the Republican administration, which was developed by the Heritage Foundation, calls for a revert the financial burden of a short disaster response so that 75 % of the states and the rest are with the federal government. The Project 2025 is the chief architect of Russell’s vote, Mr Trump’s choice to run the Office of Management and Budget, where he will significantly form the federal budget.
The growing number of federal emergency managers says some reforms are needed and that the FEMA has been extended.
“The real question is how to distribute these boats at all levels of government,” said Daniel Kenioski, who, during Mr Trump’s first administration, Managing from FEMA’s second top official and now a consulting firm Marsh McLean. Are the director.
The previous four administrators of FEMA – were appointed by two Democrats, and two were appointed by Mr Trump – made versions of this argument, demanding more work from the states. But states generally want more help, not less.
Mr Trump can force states to play a major role.
“The soft shock has not changed the result,” said Roy Wright, who played a senior role in FEMA during the first administration of Obama and Trump. “We need a different approach.”
This debate comes when severe weather events are happening frequently. Acute Due to climate change, and Mr. Trump has canceled some policies made to make the United States more flexible than climate shocks.
The President has appointed FEMA Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy Cell and a former director of emergency medical services at the Homeland Security Department who has also been on Focus News as a military analyst. Unlike former FEMA organizers, Mr Hamilton has no experience in reacting to the widespread hurricanes, forest fires or other disasters.
Held Disasters section in Project 2025 In the first period of Mr Trump, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Fema agency, was written. In addition to transferring more costs to the states for small disasters, Blue Print demanded “crushing” for destruction – reducing federal aid for states that fail to protect their communities from disasters. This switch will “force the states to play a more active role in its preparation,” Mr. Cosinley wrote.
Disaster was thought to be deducted. First recommended By the Obama administration. At present, FEMA administrator Craig Fogate argued that the states were incentive to implement strict building codes, prevent construction in more dangerous areas, and otherwise reduce their exposure to hurricanes, forest fires and other disasters. Need
“We’re not seeing changes in behavior,” Mr. Fogate Told Bloomberg News In 2016. “A forced mechanism must be.”
But the states withdrew the idea of ​​high cost, and the idea was over. After Mr Trump took office for the first time in 2017, his Fema administrator, Brook Long, suggested adjusting the amount of federal disaster aid received to the states, based on whether he strengthened the building codes. There have been steps like making.
Mr Long also believes that FEMA’s funding should be replaced with “block grants” – to give states a part of the reaction and reconstruction cost after disasters. Mr Long said in a statement Thursday that it would allow governors to “meet more resources control and recovery efforts to meet the unique demands of their communities.”
The challenge of transferring responsibility to the states is that they vary in the ability to respond to disasters, said Pate Genver, who replaced Mr Long as the Fema administrator in 2019.
Mr Ganor said that only a dozen states like Florida, Texas and California have the necessary staff and experience to deal with major disasters.
But Mr Ganor said block grants can reduce the cost. Instead of paying for a disaster recovery, which can sometimes last for decades, the FEMA will estimate the maintenance cost and send the money to the state.
Mr Ganor said that if a state rebuilds at a low cost, it can invest in future disasters prevention measures, such as building walls or raising buildings. If the cost is higher than the initial estimate, the state will have to pay extra costs.
Lynbud, president of the National Emergency Management Association, said some states would be accepted to stop the grants. “This is an interesting idea,” Ms Bud said, who is the director of the Wyoming Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He said that due to Wooming, its low population and relatively low disasters, there is no money to hire a large number of staff to manage them when disasters occur.
But Dan Criswell, who runs FEMA during the Biden administration, said he feared that the states would fail to rebuild the restoration without skills or resources, which would pose a greater risk of destruction. Will
Ms Criswell agreed with the idea that FEMA does a lot. But he said that part of the problem was that the agency was working beyond severe weather events – for example, managing The federal government’s response Under the first Trump administration to help the Covid-19 pandemic disease, or to shelter non-fellow minors stopped on the southern border.
Ms Criswell agreed with the idea that states should make further preparations for disasters, which could reduce the burden on the Fema. Like his predecessors, he tried to strengthen his building codes from the states to reduce their display from disasters. But there has been very little movement in the states that oppose strict standards.
In his Fox News interview, Mr Trump said that FEMA had failed to help the last fall of North Carolina, a storm, and was a politically motivated. Mr Trump said Wednesday, “Democrats did not actually use FEMA to help North Carolina.”
Ms Criswell said Mr Trump was wrong. He said that FEMA had deployed personnel before the storm in North Carolina, an army of crew members and partners, which eventually had thousands. “I don’t know what he thinks we should do,” said Ms. Criswell.
