Politics
FEMA chief urges states to build reserves as administration plans disaster-aid shift
FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton told state officials in Little Rock to prepare to manage most disasters with less federal help. The Trump administration could begin cutting disaster assistance in as few as six months, according to the reported plan.
WASHINGTON — States should build up disaster reserves and emergency-response capacity so they can begin recovery without waiting for federal aid, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton told state officials Tuesday at a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Hamilton’s remarks offered a detailed public account of the Trump administration’s planned shift of disaster responsibilities to states. The administration is planning to reduce federal disaster aid in as few as six months, according to the plan described in connection with his comments.
“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other capabilities to get recovery efforts underway without being delayed by the federal disaster-declaration process, Hamilton said, according to a recording of his remarks.
He said he hoped states would eventually have enough capacity that they would need fewer presidential disaster declarations — the authorizations that can unlock federal assistance.
The proposed shift would place more of the immediate financial and operational burden of disasters on state governments. Hamilton’s remarks did not specify how much aid would be reduced, which programs might change or how states with limited budgets should meet the expectation.
For residents, state readiness can affect how quickly communities begin rebuilding after a disaster. But shifting costs away from the federal government could also leave states with greater responsibility for recovery, particularly when damage exceeds their resources.