On page 135 of the Presidential Transition Project, it is suggested that the next Republican president will “provide states and localities with a limited federal emergency response and preparedness.”
With the increasing intensity of storms as a result of climate change, this is possibly the most dangerous thing to come out of Project 2025.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for handling crises in the United States. It has also famously been underfunded. FEMA is working hard to provide relief to those who have been affected by recent hurricanes.
People have complained that it is not enough. It isn’t enough, but that is all they are working with. Republicans like Nebraska Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts have voted against giving FEMA a larger budget. As a result, they are forced to use the little resources they have at their disposal, which can result in aid being insufficient. Specifically, they were only able to provide an initial $750 to individuals affected by Hurricane Helene. Over $200 Million was given in relief, though Helene did over $4.5 Billion in damages.
FEMA is already limited in what they can do. Project 2025 will put a stranglehold on federal response. This cannot happen.
What’s worse is the fact that Project 2025 suggests privatizing FEMA. If a city undergoes a crisis, according to Project 2025, citizens better hope they can pay for it. A poor citizen needs relief? In the eyes of Project 2025, that person may not be seen as a worthy customer.
We cannot allow ourselves as a country to leave behind people simply because they have less money. If the president were to break up FEMA into several small parts, it would become difficult to organize. There would be several ways of organizing and several leaders all speaking slightly different languages.
Without organization from a federal level, emergency management would result in a chaotic mishmash of disorganized help. FEMA exists as a way to streamline and organize relief so that there is one standard.
This is a problem already, with eager citizens wanting to help but not going through FEMA. This results in undesignated areas filled with donated items, leaving helicopters with crucial supplies unable to land where they need to.
So where would the money go instead of FEMA? As suggested by the authors of Project 2025, it would go to securing the border, of course.
Within the suggestions written for the Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli claims “A successful DHS would: Secure and control the border; Thoroughly enforce immigration laws; Correctly and efficiently adjudicate immigration benefit applications while rejecting fraudulent claims,” and so on.
Instead of funding an agency focused on aiding people in need, the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank responsible for Project 2025, suggests making sure people they don’t like can’t enter the country. To the Heritage Foundation, immigrants are more of a threat than Milton.
We cannot allow this racist lunacy within our country. We should focus on providing aid to all Americans, especially in the wake of the climate crisis. The storms will only get worse, and the damage will increase. Dismantling FEMA will mean dismantling our chances of survival in the future.
