I don't know how much clearer he could be: The money he takes in from our taxes is for billionaires, and anything else, we're on our own! Mango Man said yesterday that his administration plans to “wean” states off Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance after this year’s hurricane season, leaving everyone to float on their own. Via the Washington Post:
“We’re moving it back to the states, so the governors can handle. That’s why they’re governors,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be governor.”
Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem have for months said they wanted to eliminate FEMA as it currently exists and hand control over emergency managements to states. That has puzzled some emergency managers who say that states have always led disaster response, and only seek federal aid and the help of FEMA staff if they need additional assistance.
[...] “It has not worked out well,” Trump said Tuesday of FEMA’s past disaster response. “It’s extremely expensive. When you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind in a state, that’s what you have governors for. They’re supposed to fix those problems.”
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group is trying to straighten this out. Via Politico:
A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a sweeping bill to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and in some cases expand its services — in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s threats to shrink or abolish the agency.
Under the bill, FEMA could pay for major repairs to homes damaged in disasters, instead of only temporary fixes. The agency would be able to penalize states that don’t try to mitigate disasters, according to a detailed summary obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News.
The bill also would remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and make it an independent agency reporting directly to the president. The measure, which is described as a discussion draft, was written by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves, Republican of Missouri, and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen, the panel’s top Democrat.
