more on fema's future in dhs under mullin

What does it take to be appointed to a political position in the Trump Administration. People who have been vetted through the process have been asked “Do you support all of President Trump’s policies?” That question must include, “Do you support all 225 Executive Orders that Trump has issued in his second term?” There are plenty of policies contained in those 225 orders.

For myself, I say we live in a very complicated world. There might be some policies that the Trump administration has that I might support—but likely not all of them, e.g. anything on climate change denial.

Senator Mullin’s confirmation has passed out of the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee. The next step is a full vote of the Senate, where I expect him to be confirmed. With that in mind, see this more comprehensive article about how Mullin might approach dealing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and all the changes that have already been made to the agency. Trump’s DHS pick, Markwayne Mullin, stokes fears of more Fema cuts

Interestingly, I’ll be doing a Disaster Zone Podcast with the Oklahoma State Emergency Management Director on March23rd. That interview will run later in April. On her LinkedIn page she had this message about her interactions with Senator Mullin, “I am excited and optimistic as Senator Mullin continues through his confirmation process. His presence in local Emergency Operations Centers during significant events is consistent, he shows up. He is trusted.

I recall an experience in 2019 at the Rogers County EOC just outside of Tulsa, where they needed maps showing the inundation of high release rates from two dams. The county had been provided a paper 500-year floodplain map, but Senator Mullin stepped in to get more realistic information for decision-making purposes. At that moment, it was me (before I became the director), the County Emergency Management Director, and then in walked Senator Mullin. He didn’t have to be there, but he was.

Senator Mullin's experience with disasters is real, it’s not talk, he has consistently been on the ground immediately after events, offering assistance when it is needed most. I’ve appreciated this during my time in Oklahoma.”

As with everything in this world, time will tell!