The Trump Administration has sought to dismantle FEMA and shift disaster response responsibilities to states. FEMA has experienced internal strife over leadership, and reports indicate its mission has been compromised by partisan decision-making. Relief decisions are described as being controlled by President Trump, with aid rejected for Democratic-led states at the highest rate in the agency’s history. These actions have prompted accusations that emergency aid is used as a political cudgel. The resulting environment has reportedly chilled some rank-and-file FEMA staff. A longtime FEMA employee, speaking anonymously with a digitally regenerated voice, describes what is happening internally and whether it could impair the agency’s ability to respond to the next emergency.
"The Trump Administration has made little secret of its desire to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency and give states the responsibility to respond to all manner of natural disasters on their own. FEMA has endured tremendous internal strife over leadership, and reports have suggested its mission has been compromised by partisan decision-making: President Trump—the sole arbiter of who ultimately gets FEMA relief—has rejected aid for Democratic-led states at the highest rate in the agency's history."
"This has led to accusations of emergency aid being used as a "political cudgel," and has had a chilling effect on some of the rank-and-file staff at the agency. The New Yorker Radio Hour's Adam Howard speaks to a longtime employee of FEMA about what's going on behind the scenes, and whether it could hinder the agency's ability to respond to the next emergency."
"The subject of this interview is currently working for FEMA, a federal agency, and he asked to remain anonymous. His voice has been digitally regenerated for the audio of this interview."
Read at The New Yorker
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