BREAKING: FEMA's Disaster Fund Hits Red Zone Ahead of Hurricane Season — Republicans Must Free the Agency from DHS
With the Disaster Relief Fund in crisis and hurricane season weeks away, it's time to make FEMA independent again
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hurricane season begins June 1, and FEMA has officially entered a “financial danger zone” — not because of a catastrophic storm, but because of Republican dysfunction, a prolonged government funding lapse, and an administration that has spent months subordinating disaster relief to political priorities.
FEMA has triggered Imminent Needs Funding, restricting the agency to only the most urgent spending after its Disaster Relief Fund dropped below $3 billion. With major disasters routinely costing tens or hundreds of billions of dollars, entering hurricane season at this funding level is reckless.
The current crisis is inseparable from FEMA's subordination to the Department of Homeland Security. When FEMA sits under DHS, its fate is tied to whoever runs the department — and this administration has made clear that DHS is a political instrument. Meanwhile, an internal FEMA review found that most of the agency's hurricane season readiness last year had been "derailed this year due to other activities like staffing and contracts."
"Republicans cannot claim to care about disaster-affected communities while letting DHS officials run FEMA like a political gift shop. Fund the Disaster Relief Fund, pass the FEMA Independence Act, and restore the agency Americans depend on when everything goes wrong," said Sabotaging Our Safety Council Member Rafael Lemaitre.
Sabotaging Our Safety has been demanding FEMA become an independent cabinet-level agency following a year of incompetence and politicization that left millions facing disasters in danger. The organization continues to call for transparent data-sharing with Congress, accountability in disaster aid allocation, and an end to the diversion of FEMA resources away from their core mission of protecting Americans from disasters.
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