An employee at the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the use of rescue aid as a political weapon, and how it might affect the agency’s ability to respond to the next emergency.
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The Trump Administration has made little secret of its desire to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency and give states the responsibility to respond to all manner of natural disasters on their own. FEMA has endured tremendous internal strife over leadership, and reports have suggested its mission has been compromised by partisan decision-making: President Trump—the sole arbiter of who ultimately gets FEMA relief—has rejected aid for Democratic-led states at the highest rate in the agency’s history. This has led to accusations of emergency aid being used as a “political cudgel,” and has had a chilling effect on some of the rank-and-file staff at the agency. The New Yorker Radio Hour’s Adam Howard speaks to a longtime employee of FEMA about what’s going on behind the scenes, and whether it could hinder the agency’s ability to respond to the next emergency.
The subject of this interview is currently working for FEMA, a federal agency, and he asked to remain anonymous. His voice has been digitally regenerated for the audio of this interview.
Further reading and listening:
- “American Emergency: The Movement to Kill FEMA,” by “On the Media”
- “Outrage and Paranoia After Hurricane Helene,” by Jessica Pishko
- “For the Victims of Florence, Trump Needs to Prove That He Can Get Hurricane Recovery Right,” by Doug Bock Clark and Charles Bethea
- “Inequality and Hurricane Harvey,” by Ben Taub
New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and The New Yorker.