Donald Trump is planning to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was on the front lines of the response to the recent wildfires that ravaged California and the hurricane last year in North Carolina.
According to a source familiar with the conversation who requested anonymity, he spoke in depth with Republican congressional leaders about the matter on Tuesday. He discussed whether FEMA, the federal agency that assists the states, should continue to do so.
Conservatives have suggested in the past that they reduce the amount of reimbursements to states for disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Trump was critical of the agency this week in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, saying “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years” and “FEMA is getting in the way of everything.”
On Friday, the Republican President will make his first visit since taking office, visiting North Carolina which was devastated in September by Tropical Storm Helene, and California which is still reeling from some fires that are among the worst in history.
North Carolina is the focus of Republican criticisms of FEMA. Conservatives have criticized that hurricane victims only received $750 as a stopgap aid, even though they had suffered severe losses. They are still waiting for more assistance to be given.
Trump said that he would not provide any assistance to California in his interview with Hannity.
He said, “I don’t think we should grant anything to California until they allow water to flow into their system.”
The president claimed that California’s water policies, including fish conservation efforts in northern California, caused fire hydrants in Los Angeles to dry up during the fires.
Mike Johnson, R.-La. The Republican House Speaker is from Louisiana which has a history of natural disasters. He suggested that federal aid be conditional on California.
In the wake of the hurricanes Helene, Milton, and their twins, Congress replenished last year the federal disaster fund with $100 billion. This was part of the massive year-end budget bill that President Joe Biden signed into law.
The California fires will likely be the costliest natural disaster the United States has ever seen.
Trump appointed Cameron Hamilton as the interim administrator of the agency. Hamilton is a former Navy Seal and failed Republican candidate for Congress from Virginia. Hamilton worked previously on emergency management for the Department of Homeland Security as well as the Department of State.
He has been critical of FEMA on social media and has spoken out about the need to increase security along the border with Mexico. This is where resources from the agency could be directed.
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