President Donald Trump made hints at reforms in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during his televised interview on Wednesday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The president criticized the previous administration for how the agency functioned and indicated that states may have to play a more critical role in handling disasters.
“FEMA has not done their job for the last four years,” Trump said. “I’d rather see states take care of their problems, and then the federal government can assist financially.”
He used Oklahoma as an example and said that state leaders should be responsible for the initial response to emergencies such as tornadoes, with federal involvement being a secondary support. “If Oklahoma gets hit with a tornado, let Oklahoma fix it, and then the federal government can help them out with the money,” he said.
The president further criticized FEMA’s handling of past disasters including Hurricane Helene which caused enormous destruction in North Carolina last year. Trump described the agency of bias, insisting that Republican majorities were deprived of relief efforts.
This all fits into a broader effort to shift emergency preparedness and response costs onto state and local governments. In line with talking points from conservative think tanks that argue for reform in FEMA, such reforms would require significantly overhauling current legislative approaches.
Trump said he will visit North Carolina and California on Friday to address concerns over emergency response. His stop in North Carolina will focus on areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while in California, he intends to critique wildfire management policies.
He also targeted California Governor Gavin Newsom for mismanaging resources in fighting the wildfires. “Massive amounts of water are being wasted by environmental policies instead of being used for fire response,” Trump said.
The remarks by Trump have sparked a controversy over FEMA’s future and the balance between federal and state responsibilities in disaster management.
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