Summary
Trump signed an executive order shifting disaster preparedness responsibility from FEMA to state and local governments.
The order calls for reviewing infrastructure policies, creating a National Risk Register, and prioritizing state-led risk reduction.
Critics warn this weakens U.S. disaster readiness, noting Trump’s administration has cut 1,000 FEMA staff and withheld funds from state projects.
Experts fear the order forces states to make costly infrastructure investments without clear federal support, leaving communities more vulnerable to disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.
Federal money is money paid by the states and the people though? Texas is one of those rare red states that actually pays more into the federal system than it receives.
Either way, this article is about sending disaster coordination responsibilities back to the states from the federal level, and that’s what I’m talking about. Texas can reasonably handle itself (as could e.g. California, New York, or Washington) whereas there are other states who are probably really going to struggle, like Louisiana, Mississippi, or West Virginia.