While President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed more than $600 million in cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and some have called for eliminating it altogether — Sen. Rick Scott is confident the agency will be ready to support areas that may be affected during the upcoming hurricane season.
Scott, who was Governor of Florida when Hurricane Irma struck the state in 2017, was joined by state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, Collier County Director of Emergency Services Dan Summers at a May 27 hurricane preparedness event at the Collier County Emergency Operations Center, discussing the importance of planning and preparation in advance of hurricane season.
Scott said he thinks FEMA will be fully funded and ready to help provide support in case of major storms and other disasters.
“FEMA is going to be fully funded,” Scott said in response to a question about his stance on funding for the agency.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees FEMA, and Scott, who serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said he asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about the agency’s readiness for this hurricane season.
“I asked her, ‘Are you ready for hurricane season?’ and she is,” Scott said. “Now, let’s remember: The federal government is simply a response organization to the governor [of any state affected]. They’re not the first responders. … The federal government is a partner to the governor.”
Asked about any other funds that would be available to states in case there are significant FEMA cuts, Scott said “it’s all up to Congress.”
“The President doesn’t allocate funds, Congress does,” Scott said. “Congress has allocated the dollars in the past. I’ll fight to make sure, for whatever disaster, whether it’s a hurricane or whether it’s tornadoes in another state, the federal government is a partner.
“But remember, the federal government is just a partner. It is local government, state government, then the federal government. … They’re not first responders, they show up with a checkbook.”
