SOS: Abbott waited until the eleventh hour to appeal FEMA's denial while Trump uses disaster relief aid as a card to play at rallies; Republicans don’t really believe in their vision for FEMA, they just want to use survivors as political pawns
Houston, TEXAS — Following a Houston Chronicle editorial criticizing the failure to secure federal assistance for Texas Hill Country flood survivors, Governor Greg Abbott's last-minute appeal of FEMA's denial of Individual Assistance, and President Trump's promise of additional FEMA funding, Derrick Osobase, CWA District 6 Vice President (TX) and Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member issued the following statement:
“Families who lost their homes have been waiting for help for months. That tells you everything you need to know about what's broken in America's disaster recovery system.
“Under the Trump administration, FEMA's disaster declaration process is becoming a national disgrace. Families survive catastrophic floods, hurricanes and wildfires, only to discover that getting their government to help them recover is another disaster altogether. It now takes an average of 66 days for a final decision on major-disaster funding, compared with 21 days under any other administration since 2000.
“Texas is no stranger to disaster. Governor Abbott knew what Trump was doing to FEMA – and even endorsed it as a member of the FEMA Review Council. But instead of making a plan–like allocating part of the state’s multi-billion dollar surplus towards disaster aid –Governor Abbott has played Trump’s political games and let him use the promise of FEMA aid as a campaign rally talking point.
“Texans deserve better than empty promises, campaign speeches, and passing the buck. If Trump’s FEMA can’t put in writing exactly what survivors and their communities will get, then Governor Abbott must use the state’s rainy day fund to make up the difference.”
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