Fema Cuts and Hurricane Season

Floor Speech

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Mr. LATIMER. Madam Speaker, the harrowing videos and stories out of Texas earlier this month are another reminder of how unpredictable and dangerous weather has become. Climate change is fueling more frequent and extreme weather events, and the Federal Government has a duty to be ready to respond quickly.

What happened in Texas shows we need to strengthen FEMA, not weaken it. That means making sure the agency is fully staffed and fully funded. That means answering the phones.

Unfortunately, the administration is doing the opposite, gutting our Nation's largest emergency management agency.

As a New Yorker, I saw the flooding in Texas and immediately thought of hurricane season on the East Coast. It has been a few years since a major storm hit our region. We are due. Local and State agencies are preparing, but this year they are doing so without the help of FEMA's predisaster mitigation grants because the administration canceled the program.

Cutting emergency preparedness funding doesn't prevent disasters. It just makes them harder to handle. Once again, it is Americans who will pay the price.

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