By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
I was among many Americans surprised and angry when candidate Donald Trump went to the flood-ravaged mountains of North Carolina in the summer of 2024 and savagely attacked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) while promising to dismantle it.
As a former National Guard officer and newspaper reporter, I had seen firsthand numerous examples of the incredible lifesaving and community spirit-lifting work that had endeared FEMA to millions of Americans caught in disasters.
Sadly, the President’s campaign advisors in 2024 convinced him to adopt a “slash and burn” strategy to reduce the size of the federal payroll and eliminate or downsize numerous federal agencies.
Today we are seeing the aftermath of that grandstanding as shown by the shortages of air traffic controllers and other vital employees such as FEMA-trained emergency managers on the national, state and local levels. We even have a serious shortage of IRS agents.
The ineptitude of the Department of Homeland Security was highlighted by the near collapse of FEMA. Personally, I was shocked last year when the White House fired Cameron Hamilton as FEMA director after he told Congress that the American public didn’t want FEMA abolished or downsized.
In just five months on the job in Washington last year, Hamilton recognized the cold, hard truth that individual states, counties and cities do not have the fiscal resources or equipment or trained personnel to manage disasters on their own.
To his credit, President Trump has realized that Hamilton, a former Navy Seal, perhaps is the right person to lead FEMA after all. This change-of-heart also has seen three cabinet secretaries lose their positions to mid-course corrections.
If you’ve ever seen the joy on the faces of flood or tornado or wildfire victims as they are rescued or as they move into temporary housing or receive a new blanket or a box of food, you’ll better understand why the President now is doing exactly the right thing with FEMA.
Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com.
