Under Donald Trump, the Federal Government is Less Prepared to Respond and Prevent Disasters
As Disaster Season Arrives, Trump's Disaster Infrastructure Is Dangerously Unprepared
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With hurricane season days away and tornadoes, wildfires, and floods already battering communities across the country, a damning new report card confirms what Americans are experiencing in real time: FEMA is in chaos — and the Trump administration has no plan to fix it.
“Donald Trump has taken an axe to our country’s disaster response infrastructure just before hurricane season arrives,” said Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Lauren Groh-Wargo. “FEMA is hemorrhaging experienced leadership, the National Weather Service is down hundreds of scientists who issue critical tornado warnings, and the Forest Service has slashed wildfire prevention work—and Americans are already paying the price. It’s about time he and his administration are called out for their deliberate choice to starve disaster preparedness of the resources and expertise communities desperately need."
Yesterday, Sabotaging Our Safety released a comprehensive scorecard ahead of Trump's FEMA Review Council report, grading the agency "F" across leadership, workforce, strategic planning, and hurricane preparedness. The findings arrive as a cascade of headlines tells the same alarming story:
The New York Times: Trump Panel Calls for FEMA Overhaul
“One former FEMA official and critic of the Trump administration’s approach to disasters said that leaving the agency within the Homeland Security Department could continue to expose it to political pressures.
“This report ignores the real issue: If we expect FEMA to show up for families after hurricanes, floods and fires, then the Trump administration needs to stop starving the agency of qualified leadership and meaningful funding,” said Rafael Lemaitre, a former public affairs director at FEMA and a member of a coalition called Sabotaging our Safety.”
NOTUS: FEMA Is Losing Another Senior Official Just Weeks Before Hurricane Season
“The departure of one of the agency’s most experienced leaders, after more than two decades in emergency management across the federal government, comes amid a wave of leadership changes over the last year.
“It’s another example of decades of FEMA institutional knowledge walking out the door at the most critical time (the start of hurricane season),” said the source with direct knowledge in a text to NOTUS. “Keith is one of the most trusted voices in the agency and it’s a huge blow to not only the workforce but our readiness at large.”
POLITICO: FEMA said it answered the phone during the Texas floods. Most callers didn't get through.
“FEMA’s shortcomings during the Texas flood and its jumbled answers afterwards came amid internal turbulence at the agency,which President Donald Trump has threatened to weaken since taking office. Under three temporary FEMA leaders with no emergency management background, the administration cut agency staff, canceled grant programs, slowed recovery funding and denied most aid requests from Democratic-led states.”
NPR: Tornado outbreaks catch forecasters by surprise after National Weather Service cuts
“The National Weather Service has lost hundreds of workers in President Trump's second term. Is that making its predictions worse? Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports on a tornado outbreak that took forecasters by surprise.”
The New York Times: Storm Season Is Here and the National Weather Service Is Short-Handed
“The agency’s roster of more than 2,500 scientists shrank by about 15 percent last year through firings and early retirements. The Weather Service’s data and expertise forms the backbone for all kinds of forecasts, including those shared by television meteorologists and smartphone apps.”
Topeka Capital Journal: Kansas congresswoman demands answers after surprise tornado activity
A Kansas congresswoman this past week repeated her demand that the Trump administration reveal if budget cuts it made endangered her constituents April 13 when tornadoes struck in her district after the National Weather Service failed to conduct morning weather balloon launches.
"Kansans heard tornado sirens — but were they delayed? And why?" Congresswoman Sharice Davids, D-Roeland Park, wrote April 29 on her office's Facebook page. "I’m demanding answers because minutes can save lives."
NPR: Trump administration falls behind on wildfire prevention with risky fire season ahead
“In 2025, the Forest Service reduced vegetation on almost 1.5 million fewer acres than in 2024, according to an analysis of the agency's data by NPR and firefighting experts. It marks a significant drop from the more than 4 million acres of hazardous vegetation work done in the last year of the Biden administration.”
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