Yesterday, the mayor of St. Louis revealed that FEMA has yet to arrive in storm-battered Missouri and that her community is “desperate” for help. This follows Trump and Elon Musk gutting FEMA, to the point where an internal review last week found that FEMA was “not ready” for hurricane season and other natural disaster responses. 

In response to Trump’s push to gut FEMA when Americans need it the most, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump talked a big game on the campaign trail about helping Americans recover from devastating natural disasters — but it looks like he lied again. The Trump administration gutted FEMA and is now asleep at the wheel as families in Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia face ruin from storms and tornadoes. Stepping up for communities in dire need is a basic government obligation, yet Trump has turned his back on them. Natural disasters are apolitical, but apparently the price of getting Trump’s attention these days is too steep for folks whose towns have been destroyed.”

Following the Trump administration’s cuts to FEMA, urgent support to communities ravaged by natural disasters has been delayed. With more natural disasters on the horizon, experts warn families will be left behind. 

Ana Cabrero, MSNBC: “The mayor of St. Louis tells me FEMA has yet to arrive and her community is desperate for help.”

New York Times: “Musk Targeted FEMA. Storm-Battered Communities Are Paying a Price.”

“[DHS Secretary Kristi] Noem’s office has directed staff to develop a plan to disband the agency …

“It is not clear what government agencies, if any, would take over FEMA’s role delivering aid to communities hit by disasters.” 

CNN: “‘We’re not preparing’: As Trump officials vow to eliminate FEMA, the agency is already in turmoil” 

“Last week, FEMA employees received an email titled ‘Hiring Update,’ which outlined a new process, effective immediately, requiring that the majority of the agency’s workers, many of whom hold 2-to-4-year term positions, be directly approved by Secretary Noem’s team in order to be renewed for another term. …

“Instead of preparing for hurricane season, one official told CNN, they’ve spent days checking workers’ renewal dates and working on justifications for their roles. … 

“More than $100 billion of previously awarded grant money and disaster assistance is currently frozen at FEMA. …

“Nearly all FEMA payments outside of individual disaster assistance have been paused, preventing states, localities and nonprofits from being reimbursed. That includes entities like fire departments that are frequently awarded federal grants to pay for equipment and staffing as well as disaster recovery money to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the wildfires in California.”  

ABC News: “FEMA ‘not ready’ for hurricane season, internal review finds”

“The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told staff members on Thursday that he believes President Donald Trump is a bold man with a bold vision for the agency — but that FEMA doesn’t yet have a full plan to tackle hurricane season. 

“‘I would say we’re about 80 or 85% there,’ Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson told staff on a conference call, parts of which were obtained by ABC. ‘The next week, we will close that gap and get to probably 97-98% of a plan. We’ll never have 100% of a plan. Even if we did have 100% of a plan, a plan never survives first contact. However, we will do our best to make sure that the plan is all-encompassing.’ …

“‘As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood, thus FEMA is not ready,’ according to the document.”

Politico: “New Noem plan leaves FEMA on the chopping block” 

“Noem told Trump administration officials in a meeting Tuesday at Department of Homeland Security headquarters that she wants to eliminate FEMA’s role in funding long-term rebuilding efforts and halt multibillion-dollar grant programs that help communities prepare for disasters. … 

“The meeting … occurred one day after Noem said publicly that ‘we’re going to eliminate FEMA.’” 

Washington Post: “Trump officials working to strip FEMA’s role in disaster recovery by Oct. 1” 

“[A] number of possibilities were floated to strip FEMA of some of its key functions, such as helping rebuild after disasters strike and, according to one person, funding resilience initiatives that help communities prepare for disasters. … 

“The closed-door push to abolish or substantially cut FEMA’s authorities … comes barely two months ahead of the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. …

“FEMA reimburses state and local governments for much of the cost of disaster response and recovery. Without that federal money, governments may need to raid their budgets for education, health care and other areas in order to pay for emergency response — and even then might struggle to cope with mounting disasters.”