US President suggests eliminating FEMA, advocates state-managed disaster relief amid California wildfire devastation and North Carolina flooding.
Washington DC [US], January 25: US President Donald Trump visited California on Friday to assess the devastation caused by wildfires and expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), CNN reported.
Earlier in the day, during a trip to North Carolina to tour areas affected by Hurricane Helene flooding, Trump criticized FEMA’s response and suggested the agency might be eliminated. He argued that disaster relief funds should be sent directly to states to handle emergencies.
“This is probably one of the best examples of it not working,” Trump said in North Carolina, a swing state he has won multiple times. He emphasized that state governments should manage their own disaster relief efforts, claiming it would streamline processes and reduce federal bureaucracy.
“When there’s a problem with a state, that problem should be taken care of by the state,” Trump stated. “FEMA has turned out to be a disaster. It’s slow, overly bureaucratic, and expensive for the federal government.”
Proposing a New Approach
Trump proposed reallocating federal disaster relief funds directly to states, allowing them to manage their own emergencies more effectively. “We’ll pay a percentage to the state, and the state should fix it,” he said, underscoring his belief in decentralizing disaster management.
However, this proposal has raised concerns among emergency management experts. Former FEMA Chief Deanne Criswell warned about potential risks to disaster preparedness at the state level.
“We need to take him at his word,” Criswell said. “State emergency management directors should be concerned about what this means for spring tornado season and the upcoming hurricane season. Do they have the resources to protect their residents?”
Contrasting Leadership
During his visit, Trump compared his leadership to what he described as Democratic mismanagement of disaster relief in affected states. He suggested that North Carolina, a state hit hard by flooding, “has been abandoned by the Democrats.”
This trip marks Trump’s first visit outside Washington since his second inauguration on Monday. Balancing his party’s focus on spending cuts with his plans for disaster-stricken areas, Trump emphasized the need for a more efficient and localized approach to managing emergencies.
As wildfires and hurricanes continue to wreak havoc, Trump’s proposed policy shift could significantly alter how disaster relief is managed in the United States. Whether it will bring the efficiency he envisions or create further challenges remains to be seen.