A.G. Gancarski
The future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in doubt, but Gov. Ron DeSantis would just as soon close it and have states like Florida get the money without the middleman.
“I think if President Trump wants to just block grant money to us and get FEMA out of it entirely, we would do even better because a lot of what we do is in spite of the FEMA bureaucracy, not because of the FEMA bureaucracy,” DeSantis said during a speech to the National Rental Home Council.
The Governor has pleaded before for block grants from Washington in lieu of the federal apparatus, though it’s not immediately clear why the federal government would socialize the cost of emergency management rather than to federalize the funding model and compel states to pay their own ways.
In February, he endorsed President Donald Trump’s suggestions that FEMA, as it is now, may be a thing of the past, blasting the agency’s “insufferable bureaucracy.”
“You can look at what’s the typical cost of a Category 4 hurricane or any of these other things that happened,” DeSantis said.
“Look to see how much FEMA has actually spent on those throughout the past. And then if a disaster comes, you can take whatever that amount is, send 80% of that block grant to the state, cut the bureaucracy of FEMA out entirely, and that money will go further than it currently does at greater amounts going through FEMA’s bureaucracy. So that’s what he’s talking about doing. And we would be able to administer this so much quicker.”
6 comments
Steve Kirn
April 9, 2025 at 2:16 pm
Hurricanes, tonadoes and other storms, fires or related catastrophes since without regard for state boundaries, and the FEMA model includes a great deal of cross-boundary cooperation and collaboration. It would be very difficult for each state to amass the resources and skills that can be deployed via a combination of local, multi-state and yes, national response. This sounds like yet another power/money grab from the Governor. Glad to take the money as a block grant, but control does not guarantee effectiveness.
Marlene Kennedy
April 9, 2025 at 2:44 pm
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ScienceBLVR
April 9, 2025 at 2:38 pm
It’s ok.. we will just get the tourists and Mexico to pay for our storm related expenses.. unless, of course, the hurricane comes from the Gulf of America, then Mexico is off the hook!
PeterH
April 9, 2025 at 3:04 pm
Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee are all struggling to keep up with their recent disastrous tornadoes and flooding. They’re smaller states ….. like Trump often states: “we’ll have to see what happens.”
Republicans are America’s worst enemy. Vote all Republicans out of office!
Skeptic
April 9, 2025 at 4:04 pm
Ummm, Ronnie, I think defunding FEMA and racking up the cost savings (mindless though they may be) is the goal , not getting rid of accountability for the cash by handing out to local sycophants. But nice way to get someone, anyone, to pay attention when the lame duck quacks.
Michael K
April 9, 2025 at 5:50 pm
Well, with FEMA all but destroyed, we’ll soon find out how “go it alone” goes. Keep those white go-go boots, Ron.