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Local Impact: FEMA Scales Back Amid Government Shutdown, Raising Concerns
Washington D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is drastically reducing its operations to focus solely on “bare-minimum, life-saving operations,” a move announced Sunday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a DHS press release, placed the blame squarely on Congressional Democrats for the shutdown, which began last week after a DHS spending bill failed to pass due to concerns over the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Noem stated that the department needed to “preserve limited funds and personnel to mitigate the national security and public safety damage at the hands of Congressional Democrats.”
Effective Sunday, DHS is “halting all non-disaster-related FEMA response efforts to prioritize disaster response; ending Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry service; and suspending all courtesy and family police escorts at airports for Members of Congress,” according to the press release. Noem argued these escorts were “drawing staff away from the critical mission of getting passengers screened.”
However, this decision has raised eyebrows among political analysts, who point to a significant budgetary surplus within FEMA compared to previous instances of funding cuts. The move comes after Noem reportedly requested DHS purchase a $77 billion luxury jet for deportations and personal use by Cabinet officials.
Historically, DHS has not cut non-emergency funding until the budget dropped to a $3 billion threshold. Yet, as of late January, FEMA reportedly had $7.1 billion in disaster funding available. Some FEMA officials have even challenged this figure, with a senior congressional aide informing Congress that the fund held $9.6 billion, according to POLITICO.
These financial discrepancies have fueled concerns regarding the Trump administration’s commitment to providing federal disaster relief to states, particularly after the President’s expressed intentions to reduce aid for severe weather events. Analysts are also questioning whether the administration’s expansive immigration operations are diverting resources from other DHS-housed agencies like FEMA.
Secretary Noem reiterated her stance, stating, “This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress. Shutdowns have real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.” She added, “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”
Noem further emphasized the department’s priorities: “TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts. FEMA will halt all non-disaster related response to prioritize disasters. This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States.”
The move has already drawn criticism from members of Congress, who accuse Noem of politicizing her department. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, slammed the decision, calling it “counterproductive” and noting that the airport programs Noem cut actually “REDUCE airport lines and ease the burden on DHS.”