{"id":13333,"date":"2026-02-06T07:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=13333"},"modified":"2026-02-05T22:33:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T03:33:53","slug":"seriously-mr-president-we-cannot-afford-to-dismantle-fema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2026\/02\/06\/seriously-mr-president-we-cannot-afford-to-dismantle-fema\/","title":{"rendered":"Seriously, Mr. President — We Cannot Afford to Dismantle FEMA"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>his week, a coalition of unions and nonprofit organizations filed <\/a>a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s plan to cut more than 10,000 positions at FEMA \u2013 the Federal Emergency Management Agency. \u00a0According to court filings, the Department of Homeland Security has directed FEMA management to prepare for a 50 percent reduction in staffing, with some cuts already underway as temporary workers’ contracts go unrenewed.\u00a0 More about Trump\u2019s plan here<\/a>, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I, for one, am appalled by the proposed cuts and applaud the filing of this lawsuit.\u00a0 And I express my profound admiration and gratitude for FEMA and the public servants who carry out the agency\u2019s mission \u2013 no matter the exposures, the weather, the safety risks.\u00a0 These are the people who run toward danger when everyone else is running away.<\/p>\n

Natural disasters don’t wait for political showmanship or debates. They don’t care about budget battles or so-called government efficiency initiatives. When a hurricane slams into the coast, when wildfires rage through communities, when tornadoes tear through towns, when a chemical plant explodes, Americans want and need one thing above all else: a coordinated, experienced, and well-staffed federal response. That’s exactly what the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides\u2014and what is now at risk.<\/p>\n

Who Are FEMA Workers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

FEMA workers are the professionals who coordinate disaster response across local, state, and federal levels. They’re the experts who arrive within hours of a catastrophe to assess damage, set up emergency operations centers, and connect devastated communities with the resources they need to survive and rebuild.<\/p>\n

They are the people Americans depend on when disasters occur.\u00a0 Cutting this critical national resource is short-sighted and dangerous.\u00a0 As AFGE National President Everett Kelley aptly put it<\/a>:\u00a0 \u201cSecretary Noem\u2019s attempts to dismantle FEMA are among the most egregious actions taken by this administration. All Americans rely on the dedicated FEMA Workforce, who devote their careers to helping people in their most desperate moments\u2026AFGE is proud to stand up for our members at FEMA and for the American Public\u2019s right to a government that is ready and able to respond when disaster strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Federal Coordination Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some have suggested that states should simply handle disaster response on their own. Maybe Mr. Trump is of the same mind, if he\u2019s thinking clearly at all. But this fundamentally misunderstands how catastrophic disasters work. When a major hurricane devastates multiple states simultaneously, when wildfires consume entire regions, when earthquakes strike with no warning, when chemical clouds cross borders, individual states\u2014no matter how well-prepared\u2014cannot go it alone.<\/p>\n

They need federal coordination to:<\/p>\n