Hurricane season is here, and according to government forecasts it\u2019s shaping up to be brutal. And then comes wildfire season, which is growing more destructive in the West. The U.S. just faced the worst tornado season in more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You wouldn\u2019t know it by the Trump administration\u2019s approach to disaster preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in disarray, and President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem want to dismantle the disaster response agency altogether at the end of this year, leaving states to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s eerily reminiscent of the summer of 2005, when hasty organizational changes, brain drain and unqualified leadership plagued FEMA in the lead up to its catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina. The images we saw along the Gulf Coast then shocked the nation, and communities are still recovering to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we approach the 20-year anniversary of that catastrophe, this administration seems dead set on repeating history\u2019s mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storms \u2014 and other dangerous weather events \u2014 are getting more frequent and more destructive, and the Trump administration is leaving America dangerously unprepared for the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since taking office, the Trump administration has implemented drastic changes \u2014 without the consent of Congress \u2014 that significantly weaken FEMA\u2019s ability to respond to hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, heat-induced blackouts and other disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elon Musk\u2019s\u2002<\/u><\/a>Department of Government Efficiency forced out 2,000 full-time FEMA employees<\/u><\/a> \u2014 nearly one third of its workforce \u2014 and subjected dozens of non-partisan employees to polygraph tests<\/u><\/a> to determine their political loyalty. A recent report<\/u><\/a> found that the White House wasn\u2019t notifying them when Trump signed major disaster declarations, with staff learning of approvals only days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of all of this, President Trump\u2019s pick to lead the agency is woefully underqualified. Acting administrator David Richardson does not hold the qualifications required by law<\/u><\/a> for his job, and has no experience leading natural disaster response. In fact, he was apparently unaware<\/u><\/a> the U.S. even has a hurricane season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Trump hobbles FEMA\u2019s disaster preparation, he\u2019s also playing politics with federal funding for recovery. So far, almost every approved disaster declaration has been for Republican-led states, while requests from Democratic governors \u2014 including Washington \u2014 remain pending or have been denied outright. Even conservatives have had to grovel to Trump for federal assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This all-out assault on FEMA begs the question: When disaster strikes, will Americans be able to count on support from the federal government? Or will they be left to fend for themselves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are not arguing that FEMA is perfect; it is not. The agency needs serious overhaul to make it more efficient and more effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the answer isn\u2019t to shutter the agency altogether. Now is the time for Congress, and leaders from red and blue states alike, to speak truth to power \u2014 before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rick Larsen\u2002<\/u><\/a>(D-Wash.) is ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Greg Stanton\u2002<\/u><\/a>(D-Ariz.) is ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure\u2019s Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n