US President Donald Trump has retreated from the abolition of the Federal Agency for Emergency Management (FEMA). While Trump’s administration had previously proposed to remove the agency, recent statements indicate a shift towards “rebranding” and FEMA reform.
However, Washington Post said that, according to officials, President Donald Trump is holding the only decision -making power.
Shift attitude toward fema
Minister Trump and Inner Security Kristi L. Noem initially expressed strong dissatisfaction with Fema and called for complete abolition of the agency.
When the President described the FEMA executive order shortly after getting office, he said “will start the process of fundamental reforms and reworking FEMA or maybe get rid of femo”.
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The President said it was not “not good” and “not very successful experiment”.
However, when Trump visits Texas the affected floods, administration officials now provide their comments and emphasize that no official measures to end FEMA are taken, and instead undergo changes in the review process, the Washington Post report.
Emphasis on the reaction of the state by the state
The key aspect of the evolving approach of administration is to seize states to take the lead in response to disasters.
The White House official emphasized the situation in Texas, where “the president immediately issued dollars, Texas already has this money in his hands”.
The official also mentioned that Greg Abbott is the main decision -making worker in terms of floods in Texas.
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This structure where the federal government provides funds and states is expected to continue.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesman, said federal resources aim to “supplement state events, not to replace these actions”. She argued that the past “excessive role of FEMA created inflated bureaucracy and discouraging state investment”.
Council for FEMA reviews at work
The Fema Review Council, established by Trump, is currently reviewing the agency. The Council met for the second time and in November decided to report with recommendations to improve the federal reaction to disasters.
Jackson confirmed that the Council “recommends the President how Fema can be reformed in a way that best serves the national interests, including how America reacts and recover from disasters, ensuring that federal roles remain supplementary and appropriate.
Challenges at work of the agency
Despite the set goals of the administration, both current and former Fema employees complained that the agency’s ability to fully respond to floods was delayed by the restrictions that the administration imposed on government expenditures and contracts.
There are also different opinions on an effective federal role in response to disasters.
While some representatives of state leaders prefer scalated federal engagement and direct block grants, others believe that coordination is essential strong federal roles, especially for states with limited resources.
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Tricia McLaughlin, assistant of the Minister of Internal Security, said that “Fema, as is today, will no longer exist” and speak of a shift to a “slender, sucking strength of a disaster that allows national actors to provide relief to their citizens”.
“Old processes are replaced because Americans have failed in real emergencies for decades,” the report said.
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