I feel like
this needs a dedicated thread:
President Trump has signed an executive order directing state and local governments to "play a more active and significant role" in preparing for disasters. For months, Trump has said he's considering getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the country's disaster response arm.
"I say you don't need FEMA, you need a good state government," Trump said while visiting the Los Angeles fires in January. "FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation."
But emergency management experts say Trump's order technically wouldn't do much to shift responsibility. Currently, local and state governments are already in charge of disasters. The question is whether the Trump administration will begin withdrawing the federal resources and funding that states rely on.
As noted, most response is state and local. What those state and local responders rely on, however, is (1) funding (to a large degree) to backstop what they're asked to do and then sometimes (2) extra support (specialists) depending on the nature of the disaster that's being addressed.
Without FEMA, states would need to find thousands of additional personnel to inspect damage, distribute disaster aid and plan the rebuilding of public infrastructure. Without federal funding, states would face billions of dollars in recovery costs. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, Florida relied on more than $5.5 billion dollars from the federal government.
FEMA also helps states prepare for disasters, which can reduce the damage they cause and the number of lives that are lost. One study from the National Institute of Building Sciences, a non-profit research group, found that federal investment of $27 billion since 1995 to prepare infrastructure for flooding will ultimately save $160 billion. Many state emergency management offices also rely on federal grants to pay their employees.
So what's the plan?
Trump has ordered the creation of a new council to do a "full-scale review" of FEMA, including recommendations for how to reform the agency. Their report is due within six months of their first meeting, which has yet to take place.
Trump's latest executive order mandates that a new "National Resilience Strategy" be drafted, with the goal of "reducing taxpayer burdens through efficiency." Project 2025, the conservative policy agenda organized by the Heritage Foundation, says the majority of disaster costs should be shouldered by the states.
"For far too long, state and local governments have neglected investing in resilience, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness because they can count on an unlimited backstop from the federal government — an unsustainable and irresponsible strategy that has resulted in needless destruction and deaths of everyday Americans," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in an emailed statement.
Good luck, Red states. Though something tells me if you say "thank you" the aid will flow...
