In recent discussions surrounding emergency management, officials appointed by former President Donald Trump have been weighing reforms that could significantly alter the landscape of federal disaster assistance. These reforms align with an executive order from Trump aiming to delegate more responsibility for disaster response and recovery from the federal government to individual states. This shift, as outlined in a memo from acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton, risks making it more challenging for communities to qualify for federal help during natural disasters.
Hamilton’s memo outlines numerous recommendations intended to reduce the number of emergency declarations made by the president and consequently lower the federal assistance funds allocated to cities and states impacted by disasters. These proposals come at a time when the U.S. typically braces for its peak natural disaster months, raising concerns about the preparedness of states and the millions of Americans who depend on assistance during such emergencies.
A significant change proposed within the memo includes substantially raising the qualifications for communities to receive federal aid, quadrupling the amount of damages a community must incur before assistance can be granted. This new threshold could pose a serious challenge for many states, especially those that may not be able to cover the costs of recovery independently. The memo also suggests not only limiting the federal share of recovery costs but also restricting the types of public facilities that would be eligible for assistance, further complicating disaster recovery efforts.
Hamilton clarifies that the primary goal of this memorandum is to implement immediate actions intended to recalibrate FEMA’s role in disaster management, particularly as the 2025 hurricane season approaches. However, as of now, there is no concrete evidence that FEMA or the White House plan to adopt the recommendations laid out in the proposal. CNN has reached out to relevant government offices, including the White House Office of Management and Budget, FEMA, and the Department of Homeland Security, but detailed responses have not been forthcoming.
While some stakeholders endorse efforts to relieve the federal government from the financial burden of disaster recovery, many experts, including former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, caution that the proposed changes may be excessively abrupt. Fugate emphasizes that rebalancing the approach is necessary, but implementing such a drastic transition without proper preparation will likely lead to severe consequences for communities in need.
To evaluate disaster assistance requests, FEMA employs a Per Capita Indicator (PCI), which gauges the estimated costs of assistance against the state’s population. Hamilton advocates for increasing the PCI from its current value of $1.89 to $7.56, a move that seeks to emphasize aid towards more substantial disasters while eliminating smaller disaster declarations. He argues that such an adjustment would not only align with current inflation rates and economic conditions but also reduce federal expenditure by millions each year. However, state emergency managers express alarm at how significantly this proposed increase expands the threshold for assistance, with regions that experience concentrated but severe damage at high risk of being excluded from federal aid.
In light of these reforms, the memo also suggests retaining the federal cost share for recovery assistance at 75%, which is commonplace for disasters but can sometimes be heightened depending on the situation’s severity. Additionally, proposals for eliminating FEMA assistance for recreational facilities and prohibiting major disaster declarations for snowstorms have drawn notable concern, given previous practices that allowed states to adapt recovery aid in response to such weather events.
The matter of disaster declarations has implications across both red and blue states, with reports indicating that various requests have been denied without clear communication from the federal government about changing thresholds. High-profile disasters in states like Washington and Arkansas illustrate the current tension, where governors and officials are pushing back against the federal denial of assistance, claiming that federal agencies are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
In sum, the proposed reforms put forth by acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton not only call for significant alterations in the way federal disaster assistance is allocated, they also raise questions about the responsibility of states in managing disaster response amid evolving climate challenges. As natural disasters become increasingly frequent and costly, discussions around balancing the responsibilities and funding between state and federal governments are likely to continue in the hopes of establishing effective and equitable emergency management strategies.