Warning that destructive storms are not a local problem, a number of Republicans in Congress are becoming more vocal about concerns over the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
President Trump has proposed more than a half-billion dollars in funding cuts to the agency and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced at a recent cabinet meeting, "We are going to eliminate FEMA."
The president claims that state governments can do a better job in responding to disasters but not all lawmakers, including some Republicans, agree.
One FEMA program that both Democrats and Democrats are asking the Trump administration to unfreeze gives grants to local communities to prepare for natural disasters. It's called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities. The BRIC program was established by Congress in the 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act with bipartisan support and signed into law that year by President Trump.
Last month, a FEMA spokesperson called BRIC "another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program" as the shutdown was announced. FEMA said $882 million in Congressionally approved funding would be sent back to the US Treasury.
On Monday, 88 members of Congress, including 16 Republicans, sent a letter to Ms. Noem and newly-appointed FEMA administrator David Richardson urging them to reinstate BRIC. "Forgoing these critical investments will only make it harder and more expensive for communities to recover from the next storm," the letter states.
The letter acknowledges that the program has room for improvement but should not be ended.
Senator Tillis is one of the Republicans who signed the letter. He says he is also concerned about talk of eliminating FEMA.
"Storms have this weird way of not honoring state boundaries, so they tend to go all over the place, and every one requires a regional response," Tillis tells NOTUS. "Are we seriously talking about eliminating a convening authority for a regional response and then mobilizing national resources that we're going to need anyway?"
It was widely reported on Thursday that Mr. Richardson admits he doesn't have a plan yet for the hurricane season that gets underway on June 1. He acknowledged in private meetings that it has been a challenge to prepare while "clarifying the intent of the president," the Wall Street Journal reported. More than half a dozen FEMA employees told the paper that the agency is struggling with steep cuts in its workforce and no clear direction on its future.
That lack of direction has some Republicans speaking out.
"FEMA needs reform and I understand that, but I don't know what form that takes in the president's mind, so I'm concerned," Sen. Capito told NOTUS. "States don't have enough money or even the know-how to be able to respond well, especially with some of these larger disasters."