Ranking Member Thompson Statement on FEMA Review Council Report
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the below statement on the Trump administration releasing its FEMA Review Council report:
“After leaving FEMA floundering for over a year, the Trump administration is doing whatever it can to hamper it. President Trump’s hand-picked, partisan FEMA Review Council’s report out today recommends changes that would weaken FEMA, shift greater, unfunded disaster responsibilities onto States and local communities, and take resources away from disaster survivors. At a time when disasters are becoming more severe and more costly, Americans need a stronger Federal emergency management system — not one in retreat.
“With hurricane season beginning on June 1st, just 3 weeks away, we need a strong, efficient, and fully staffed FEMA that can respond to multiple major disasters. But under Trump, FEMA has lost thousands of employees, has no permanent administrator, and has numerous leadership vacancies. Shifting disaster response to the states will not work: many red states and many blue states do not have the capacity. We need this administration to take disaster management seriously – their incompetence and constant political games will only put Americans at risk when they are at their most vulnerable.
“Congress strengthened FEMA after Hurricane Katrina because Americans expect and deserve a strong national response when catastrophe strikes. I will oppose any effort to weaken FEMA’s mission or shift Federal disaster responsibilities onto communities that too often do not have the resources to respond and recover on their own."
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