president to phase out fema

Every day I read something that is fantastical in some sort of way. The latest from the White House is this, Trump says he plans to phase out FEMA after 2025 hurricane season

You could say, “We heard it from the horse’s mouth” meaning—how could it be different, he is the President after all. Getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been a constant refrain since the early days of the administration.

Personally, I think they are setting FEMA up for failure, if there is a significant hurricane season with one or more hurricanes hitting the United States in close proximity to one another, time wise. Just this week I interviewed Michael Coen, former FEMA Chief of Staff for an upcoming Disaster Zone Podcast: Destroying FEMA.  With the elimination of  probationary employees, buyouts, retirements and other reductions, FEMA’s down a third in headcount, from 6,000 to 4,000 employees.

If FEMA falls flat on its face in responding this summer, it will provide further “proof” and “justification” for doing away with the agency.

Then there is the President’s stated plan for the White House to distribute disaster funds directly to disaster survivors and states. I would fully expect those checks, like the COVID checks that were sent out will have President Trump’s name on them. What the mechanism would be for vetting people and organizations to get those checks—if FEMA is done away with is anyone’s guess?

Then there is the Secretary of Homeland Security talking about setting up agreements between states to help one another—I guess no one is left at FEMA to brief her on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) that already exists. I do think that the stated goal of states and local jurisdictions to be on their own without an effective federal response is a good planning assumption for all of us at this point.

We are in “uncharted territory” as it relates to how the United States government will function as it concerns disasters.

I’m reminded of an old saying we had in the military when talking about someone’s leadership abilities, “His men follow him out of sheer curiosity.”  What will happen next? What will be said? Do we believe that it will actually happen? Who will be blamed when it doesn’t go well?