Republican lawmakers cannot have it both ways. They cannot continue to push for tax cuts for the wealthy and not have it catch up with them and the country. They cannot push for tax cuts for the wealthy, and when the time comes for the federal government to fulfill its rightful role, it is unable or unwilling to do so. The governmental structure in our nation is simple. We have separate governments on three levels: local, state, and federal. There are times when the local government must rely on the state, and there are times when both the local and state governments must rely on the federal government as a last resort.
The federal government is key because it has the resources and expertise to provide oversight in areas where it is uniquely positioned to do so. When the federal government fails to provide support in certain areas, states and localities will bear the burden. In some cases, the burden will have a human toll, placing lives at risk. We currently have an executive branch within our federal government that promotes a domestic policy aimed at shifting the role of the federal government in specific areas, thereby transferring much of its responsibility to local and state levels. We currently have a Republican-led legislative branch at the federal level that has rubber-stamped that policy, knowing that their constituents back home will bear burdens they are unequipped to handle. In other words, our Republican-led federal government is failing our states and localities, including those within “Trump Country.”
Whenever the day comes when there are no longer droughts, heatwaves, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, or wildfires, it will be the day the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will no longer be needed and it can forever close its doors. FEMA’s main function is to coordinate the federal government’s response to disasters that overwhelm state and local resources. FEMA helps people before, during, and after disasters by providing support to individuals, communities, and first responders. Based on the 2024 billion-dollar disaster analysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, a total of 27 weather and climate disasters resulted in at least $1 billion in damages.
This follows the record number of 28 disasters in 2023. These disasters caused at least 568 direct or indirect fatalities. This current trend indicates that disasters are not only intensifying, but it also means there will be a greater reliance on FEMA in the future to save lives, protect property, and assist communities with recovery efforts. As the leading agency for disaster response, an underfunded FEMA will only compound the human suffering toll, resulting from unpredictable weather and climate disasters. We are already seeing the frustration on the state and local levels as the shift in governmental responsibility becomes more evident. Since the early part of this year, the Trump administration has increased denials of FEMA aid requests, affecting both Democratic and Republican regions.
