President Donald Trump said the federal government may begin to reduce the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the current hurricane season, shifting emergency response responsibilities to individual states.
Speaking during a June 10 Oval Office briefing, Trump said governors should take more control over disaster management in their states, asserting that state-level officials should be capable of handling such responsibilities.
“That’s why they’re governors. Now, if they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be governor,” Trump said as quoted in a Best Wire report. “But these governors can handle it.”
Trump has previously stated that state governments should assume greater responsibility in disaster response efforts. However, some emergency management experts warn that such a move could leave states unprepared, especially for large-scale natural disasters.
Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers Inc., said eliminating FEMA could lead to operational and financial challenges for states, particularly with regard to major flooding events and the administration of the National Flood Insurance Program.
“Those are the times when even the most capable states and communities are going to be overwhelmed,” Berginnis said. “This notion that the federal government should get out altogether is absolutely ludicrous to us, because there really is going to be no state that is going to invest in a capability to always be ready in the case of a catastrophic event.”
Berginnis pointed to recent hurricanes such as Helene, Harvey, and Sandy as examples where state governments alone could not have managed the scale of the disasters without federal assistance.
Trump suggested that states could form regional alliances to share equipment, personnel, and expertise, allowing them to “give each other a hand.” He also indicated that financial assistance following disasters might come from the president’s office or through the Department of Homeland Security, rather than through FEMA.
The federal government would also give out less in funding after disasters, Trump said.
Details regarding the scope and implementation of these proposed changes are expected to become clearer in the coming weeks. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the administration’s FEMA Review Council will soon evaluate the agency’s current capabilities and recommend potential reforms.
The council was created by a January executive order and includes private sector representatives, such as Chubb Ltd. chairman and chief executive officer Evan Greenberg.
Further developments are anticipated as the hurricane season progresses and the council completes its assessment.
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