There’s no denying that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has had a difficult year. Part of the problems stem from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s misguided agenda and imposed inefficiencies, coupled with Donald Trump’s stated determination to destroy the agency altogether for reasons he’s struggled to explain.
To fully appreciate the scope of FEMA’s troubles, however, it’s useful to focus on the agency’s personnel problems.
FEMA, for example, has had five different administrators this year. The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch resigned in frustration over the summer. The head of the agency’s disaster command center, who coordinated response to earthquakes, floods and other disasters, resigned around the same time.
When a group of FEMA officials warned Congress that the Trump administration had gutted the nation’s ability to handle extreme weather disasters, many of them were forced from their jobs.
But stepping back, serious concerns remain, not just about who’s leaving FEMA, but also about some of the people the Republican administration is bringing into FEMA. The New York Times reported:
A leading proponent of election fraud conspiracy theories is set to oversee federal disaster response. … The appointee, Gregg Phillips, will take over the agency’s Office of Response and Recovery as of Monday, according to the person. The office is the largest of FEMA’s divisions and central to its mission of helping disaster-struck communities, and its leader makes recommendations on whether federal disaster declarations and aid are warranted.
The Handbasket first reported the appointment.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to the Times on the record that Phillips would be taking a senior leadership position at the disaster response agency and stressed his “experience in emergency and humanitarian response, state government operations and large scale program reform.”
The truth is a bit more complicated. As TPM reported, Phillips is “a known conspiracy theorist who has publicly posted about his opposition to FEMA and interest in a ‘Christ centered approach’ to emergency management.” The same report noted that Phillips is a member of the True the Vote conspiracy organization and was featured prominently in the infamous “2,000 Mules” film. All things considered, it’s hardly unreasonable to wonder whether FEMA can survive the president’s second term.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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