When America Fails Itself: FEMA Crisis
We Are Not Helping Our People
The Pattern of Delayed Response
Across the United States, communities facing disasters—floods, tornadoes, wildfires—are experiencing a breakdown in federal emergency response. What was once a coordinated national system is now characterized by delays and denials, inadequate support, and communities left to manage alone.
On May 15, 2025, a catastrophic tornado struck St. Louis, damaging thousands of structures and leaving large areas without power or shelter, and damage is estimate at over 1.5 billion dollars. Federal officials said it was the largest since 2011, yet federal disaster aid has not been approved. (St Louis tornado)
These delays are documented and bipartisan. In a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi confronted FEMA leadership directly:
“Washington State, Mississippi and a couple other states already have requests in to you or to the president for the last declaration. We haven’t even gotten a response, much less help,”
— House Homeland Security Committee, April 18
He also issued a public statement reinforcing the urgency:
“Mississippi has experienced three major disasters in recent weeks, and we have yet to receive a response from FEMA or the administration.”
Thompson's frustration reflects the growing pattern. His state has endured multiple disasters this year without federal assistance. In Walthall County, officials were forced to halt cleanup efforts when resources ran out. Emergency shelters operated without air conditioning during heat advisories due to broken generators and no FEMA-supplied replacements.
This pattern extends nationwide. Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have seen flash floods displace families with minimal federal response. California wildfires destroyed thousands of acres while residents waited for aid. Puerto Rico's recovery from previous hurricanes has slowed as FEMA capacity shrinks. Louisiana's post-storm mold remediation programs were paused indefinitely when grant approvals stalled.
Unauthorized Dismantling of Federal Law
These failures stem from systematic policy changes that exceed executive authority. FEMA was created by Congress through the Stafford Act and other federal legislation, establishing specific mandates for disaster response that the administration cannot legally abandon.
Despite this legal framework, administration officials have promised to "get rid of FEMA the way it exists today." They have fired senior FEMA leaders, reduced staffing by 84 percent in the office overseeing long-term recovery, and proposed slashing non-discretionary FEMA grants by $646 million. More than 200 employees have been cut since Inauguration Day, with about 1,000 more expected to take voluntary buyouts.
Most significantly, FEMA ended the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and canceled all applications from 2020–2023—illegally eliminating congressionally mandated funding. In April, Richmond, Virginia lost a $12 million FEMA grant for critical water system upgrades when BRIC was abruptly terminated, forcing the city to raise utility rates during a public health emergency.
The administration has also shifted disaster recovery responsibility to states—directly contradicting FEMA's congressional mandate to provide federal coordination when local capacities are overwhelmed. Key leadership positions are now held by individuals with limited emergency management experience. This includes acting FEMA Director David Richardson, who said on June 2 that he "didn't know there was a hurricane season."
Unequal Impact and Systemic Consequences
These illegal changes create a two-tiered disaster response system. Communities with private resources, comprehensive insurance, or political connections recover faster, while under-resourced areas face prolonged delays and limited support.
During the St. Louis tornado aftermath, wealthier neighborhoods secured cleanup contracts and temporary housing through private insurers and donors, while lower-income communities waited weeks for basic debris removal. FEMA support remains pending. (St Louis tornado)
This disparity undermines both FEMA's core mission and America's economic foundation. The country's prosperity depends on healthy middle-class communities that can work, spend, and contribute to local economies. When disasters leave working families displaced for months, when small businesses can't reopen because infrastructure remains damaged, when entire neighborhoods struggle to rebuild—the economic effects spread far beyond the disaster zone.
Middle-class communities drive consumer spending, support businesses, and provide the stable tax base that funds infrastructure and public services—economic activity that extends far beyond local boundaries and supports national growth. A disaster response system that serves all communities strengthens the country and supports long-term prosperity.
Constitutional and Legal Framework
FEMA exists because Congress recognized that some disasters exceed local and state capacity to respond. The Stafford Act establishes federal responsibility for coordinating disaster relief, providing funding, and ensuring equitable recovery support. These are not administrative preferences—they are legal obligations that cannot be unilaterally abandoned.
The current administration's actions represent an unauthorized and illegal dismantling of congressionally mandated disaster response systems. By eliminating programs, cutting staff, and shifting responsibilities without legislative approval, these changes violate the legal framework that created and governs FEMA.
The Stakes for American Communities
Effective disaster response is fundamental to national stability and security. When communities can't recover from floods, fires, or storms, the economic and social costs ripple outward. Infrastructure remains damaged, families stay displaced, and local economies struggle to rebuild.
FEMA's original design recognized this reality. A coordinated federal response ensures that disaster recovery strengthens rather than divides communities. It maintains the principle that American citizens deserve support regardless of their state's resources or their community's wealth.
Restoring Legal Compliance and Effective Response
Addressing this crisis requires returning FEMA to its congressionally mandated role. This means:
Restoring eliminated programs like BRIC that Congress specifically authorized
Rebuilding staffing to levels needed for effective coordination
Returning federal leadership with emergency management expertise
Ensuring disaster declarations receive timely responses as legally required
The United States faces a choice: maintain the legal framework for disaster response that has protected communities for decades, or accept a system where recovery depends on local wealth and political connections.
Our response to this crisis will determine whether federal institutions serve their intended purpose—protecting all Americans when disasters strike—or whether we abandon that responsibility entirely. At its core, this is about the fundamental role of federal government: to provide the coordination, resources, and support that individual states and communities cannot manage alone. When markets fail, when disasters overwhelm local capacity, when national challenges require national solutions, federal institutions exist to serve the public interest and ensure no American community is left behind.
FEMA represents exactly the kind of collective need that only federal coordination can address effectively. No single state has the resources to respond to a major hurricane, wildfire, or tornado outbreak. No local community can rebuild critical infrastructure after catastrophic flooding without national support. These are collective challenges that require collective solutions—the very reason federal institutions exist in the first place.
The strength of American communities, and our ability to recover from future disasters, depends on restoring FEMA's legal mandate and operational capacity.
For more on why public services require different principles than private business, see: Public Service Is Not a Business
For more on why the middle class matters to American success, see
The Collapse of the Middle Class is a National Security Issue
and
Why A Strong, Healthy Middle Class Matters
(This is a updated version of the post, We Are Not Helping Our People)